Slayers Bred
by Thrythlind
Summary: Roquen has fallen, and now an old foe rises to bring trouble to the new generation. The conclusion to the unnamed trilogy begun with Kitsune Lina. Complete.
1. Average Day

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Average Day  
  
  
  
It was a peaceful day. Song birds of all sorts were singing in an impromtu, chaotic and beautiful chorus. Their winged antics produced a lovely show of color and hypnotic motions. The wind was just barely audible as whispering song bristling through the green leaves that were only just barely turning to gold. The glorious sun hung above in a cerulean sky spotted with airy white clouds floating serenly along the heat currents of world. Such a day was doomed not to last.  
"FIREBALL!!!" The birds scattered as a great red blossom cut through the air, throwing aside trees and darkening the sky in places with a shroud of smoke. Then a huge reptillian form raised its head over the rise and let loose a great roar.  
"ACKK!!!! ITS A DRAGON!!! RUN!!!"  
"Enemies of justice, you shall fall!"  
After about another minute the bandits were virtually all taken care of, except for one.  
"And then on my tenth birthday, my father gave me a rattle...."  
"And how did this make you feel?"  
"Hey Jol?"  
"What is it."  
"What is she doing?"  
"Something she read in a book," Jol looked down at the kage-kitsune. "Where were you during the battle?"  
"I was doing what Xalan asked me to do." She said smuggly.  
"And that was?" She wasn't lying, Jol could tell that, but then there was something she was hiding.  
"Staying out of the way, after all, I'm just a weak little girl, what use could I be?"  
"And what were you doing to stay out of the way."  
"Sore wa himitsu desu." She answered smiling, then a large golden goblet slipped out of her pouch and clattered against a rock. Everybody looked at the goblet and then at Xina who smiled widely and sweatdropped.  
"Xina-san, not again."  
"Xina," Xalan said resignedly. "You're not scouting anymore."  
"What? But I'm a good scout!"  
"The point of a scout is to avoid battle not bring it." Val grumbled. Xina thumped the dragon's snout.  
"Ouch, turn back to human form!" The dragon blushed.  
"I....ripped my clothes transforming."  
"Oh....uh." Xina blushed furiously while Xalan glowered.  
Jol wondered away from the rest of them as the scene played out. They were getting close to Beleriand. Soon he'd have to deal with his old rivals again, and Tinuviel would probably stay home to write about her adventures over the last few months. She wouldn't have a desire to wander again for a while yet. He didn't really want to stay around much longer, except that perhaps Tinuviel would be there. He frowned, wasn't going off adventuring supposed to impress her in the first place? It didn't seem to have worked, but he had to admit. He'd acquired a taste for it.  
"It was a beautiful day," a voice sighed next to him. He looked down at the young chimera princess.  
"Are they still bickering," he didn't really need to ask. The noise was quite obvious.  
"Xina 'misplaced' Val's extra clothes, Xalan's acting like he's going to explode and that bandit just had a 'breakthrough.'"  
  
"Thar was good," Sherra sighed, tossing back a bone. It clattered in with all the others. She had finally remembered what a growling stomach meant, and since then had hunted down anything even resembling what she remembered humans ate.  
~Do people usually eat bears?~  
"I don't know, but if not, they should." She stood up and looked off down the path to where she could see smoke billowing up into the sky. "There they are!" She sprung to her feet and started running down the path. She imagined for a moment Xalan's face, so much like his father. Then there were was how he looked standing over his defeated opponent, confidant and dismissive. She closed her eyes and giggled.  
~TURN!~  
"Huh?" There was a loud thud as she ran into a tree. "Owww. Do you think this human thing might be temporary?"  
~What happened to "this is wonderful?"~  
"Oh, just shut up!"  
  
The innkeep cringed back away from the customer.  
"She's dead, didn't you know that?"  
"Don't be ridiculuous, she is merely hiding from her greatest and closest rival."  
"But Lina Inverse has been dead for nearly twenty years! Some bandits killed her!"  
"Blah, blah, blah," the woman ranted. "I know all about the story, she lost her powers and some thugs took her apart on road in the wilderness somewhere. Its just a lie like all her other pathetic excuses for eluding me."  
"Well there have been rumors..."  
"You see, I knew it! You can never just assume that a sorceress is dead. It is impossible to fool me. OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!" The forty year old woman sauntered out of the inn laughing hideously. After the laughter faded away the innkeep looked out the door and blinked.  
"She didn't let me tell her what the rumors were..."   
  
  
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	2. New Mission

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
New Mission  
  
  
  
"Oh quit, pouting," Xina grumbled. "It'll do for now." Val leveled a glare at her.  
"You didn't look very hard, did you?"  
"Hey don't look at me, it was Tinuviel's idea."  
"And what were you doing while she was shopping?"  
"Ummm....did I tell you there's a good restaurant in the last town?" Everybody looked at her. "I just failed to change the subject, didn't I."  
"You look just darling in that outfit, Val-Kun," Tinu sighed, oblivious to the situation. "And has an interesting history in fact, it is really a mark of hiigh respect in the culture that the uniform hails from." Tinuviel rambled on as Xina glared at her.  
"It does suit you Val-san," Amethyst added smiling. "It goes with your hair nicely."  
"I don't think he wants to hear that," Jol said.  
"So, you don't think he looks just dashingly handsome in that outfit?"  
"No comment." Xalan meaning was bringing up the rear trying to hold in bursts of laughter.  
"The next town we can get something else."  
"I'm going with you this time."  
"Ummm, why?"  
"Because I'd rather not end up with something worse than this because you spent most of the money eating." Xalan tapped him on the shoulder still snickering quietly. "What?"  
"Could anything be worse than pink and lavender?" The dragon glared at Xalan, probably about to make some kind of retort, when the sound of crying drifted over the next rise. Xalan immediately sobered, and started to move, though certain other members of party proved quicker on the mark  
"Somebody is in trouble! We must to their aid in the name of Justice and all that is good!" and then Amethyst was gone in a chimerical blur that more than rivalled the rest of the party.  
"Hey, don't just rush into everything!" Xalan shouted. He followed with a little less caution than he would have liked. Val and Xina ran after the other two, falling behind the two faster adventurers. Jol walked calmly behind them, rolling his eyes, it was quite obvious that the individual was not in any immediate trouble, all they were likely to do was scare whoever it was. He turned to look at Tinuviel who was still lecturing.  
"...and the daisy badges were assimilated into the uniform in the days of the Great Floral Wars.....hey where did everybody go?"  
"Hmmm?" Jol asked blankly.  
"Are you okay Jol?" she asked.  
"Uh...yes, why?"  
"You're acting like your father." Jol blinked and arched an eyebrow.  
"They all heard someone crying and went to see what was going on."  
"Oh....hmmm...okay," she shrugged and started walking up the path.  
"So how much did the Bellehomme uniform cost you?"  
"That was the amazing thing, the man seemed to actually want to get rid of it," the elf shrugged. "It only cost me the twenty gold I had."  
"Quite a bargain for such a priceless find," Jol noted as they walked along, of course Tinu missed the sarcastic tone that creeped into the statement.  
  
The dark-haired girl sat next to the tumbled cart weeping her eyes out. The thieves had taken everything. It wasn't fair. She didn't even have her book. She at least needed the book too tell her how to rebuild her materials. What did they want with her book of magic anyway. Of what possible use could it be to...  
"FEAR NOT!! WE ARE HER..."  
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!" The girl tumbled back into the wreckage of the cart.  
"Ah ha! I knew you were in some dire danger, just point..."  
"Don't DO that!" the dark haired girl popped up and smacked Amethyst, then clutched her hand. "Ow, ow ow ow...your skin is hard."  
"Umm...why did you hit me, I'm here to save you."  
"Amethyst," Xalan said gesturing around. "There's no one else here." Behind him Xina and Val were rushing to catch up.  
"Umm, did you know that you have a tail?" the girl asked Xalan cautiously. "And that you're made of rock?"  
"Actually, I think they missed that," Xina sniped as she arrived. "So what's all the whining about?"  
"Xina-san, please be more polite."  
"Polite! You just scarred nine years of life out of me!"  
"I did? Ummm sorry."  
"Okay...apologies all around...now what is the big deal?"  
"A bunch of orcs just stole my book of magic and all my tools," the girl whined, pointing to the cart. On the side of the overturned vehicle was the ornate wording, "The Beautiful Chindra, travelling magician."  
"Magic?" Xina asked stars appearing in her eyes.  
"Yes, and how can I earn a living without my tools and book?"  
"Don't worry! We shall recover your possessions from these foul fiends! Right Val?" Xina looked up at the still moderately irate dragon. She started sniffing around the attack site. Xalan shook his head in embarrassment before joining her.  
"Hey..." Amethyst said. "You're stealing my line." Chindra leaned in towards the chimera.  
"Is he always so weird?"  
"Who?"  
"The short boy with the fox...."  
"I am not a BOY!" Xina shouted suddenly standing up straight and glaring at the dark-haired girl. Chindra turned beet-red.  
"So then you and her are..." she pointed from Xina to Val, embarrassment highly visible on her face.  
"I'm not a woman," Val grumbled, annoyed. Chindra invented a new shade of red.  
"But that out..."  
"Not my choice."  
"Oh..." confusion cleared up the girl seemed to calm down. "But you two ARE..."  
"They went this way," Xalan interrupted. The prospect of learning magic instantly distracted Xina.  
"Well what are we waiting around here for!" Xina started to run, when someone grabbed her by the shoulder.  
"We have to wait for Jolrael-san and Tinuviel-san." Amethyst reminded her.  
"Huh, why?"  
"We're already here." Everybody turned to face the elf and the swordsman. Tinu was looking suspiciously from Val to Xina. "So what are we waitng for anyway?" Xalan glanced at Tinuviel.  
"Perhaps you should stay here with Chindra," he suggested. Tinuviel looked about to argue some point about how much she would miss then. "She's a travelling magician, maybe you can ask her about her trade." Stars appeared in Tinu's eyes as she turned about to look at the suddenly nervous Chindra.  
"Okay then! Let's go!" Xina shouted rushing in the direction Xalan had earlier indicated.  
"No wait, wait! We have to do this the right way!" Xalan called after her.  
"Come on, we're going to go smite the unjust," Amethyst said smiling to Jol and Val who followed behind the other three ready for battle, but not nearly so hyper.  
"So what form of sorcery do you practice."  
"Oh...my magic isn't any kind of sorcery."  
"Really then what is it?"   
  
  
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	3. These are Bandits?

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
These are Bandits?  
  
  
  
Lina fumed. The werefox paced back and forth in the cave she made a home. The claws on her feet clicked nearly constantly, nearly in time with the swishing of her tail.   
  
"Wait until I get my hands on that dragon," she growled. Filia arched an eyebrow at her.   
  
"As if this were not that girl of your's fault." Lina snapped a glare at her friend and recalled the conversation with her sister.   
  
  
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"I must say that your daughter has much better taste in men than you seem to." Lina blinked and looked cautiously at her sister.   
  
"What do you mean by that?"   
  
"That is assuming that when Val Garv was reincarnated that he was purged of ALL the mazoku blood." Luna glanced curiously at Lina as her sister clawed furrows into her table.   
  
"Interesting reaction." Lina looked down and glanced up nervously at her sister, and laughed nervously. "I assume you don't approve of the dragon as a suitor."   
  
"What makes you say that?" Lina asked nervously. Luna pointed at the damage to the table. "Well, she's young yet."   
  
"I see," Luna arched an eyebrow.   
  
Her sister might have been glad to see her alive, and Lina might not have been AS scared of her sister as she used to be. However, that did not mean Lina was about to directly disagree with Luna on any matter. Of course she wasn't about to agree either.   
  
  
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"She didn't say anything happened," Filia noted. "She just implied that they might like each other." Filia watched as Lina paced from room to room carrying things back and forth. "Excuse me, but what are you doing?"   
  
"I keep meaning to catalog all of this stuff," Lina muttered. Filia had, over time, broken into most of Lina's dimensional pockets, the result was an incredible clutter in some of the unused caves.   
  
"And what does that have to do with..." Filia blinked. "Hmmm, good idea." Filia stood up and vanished, probably to begun to consider her own stockpiles of various oddiments. She may have had a small horde by dragon standards, but that was still quite a bit.   
  
  
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Val and Xina sneezed almost simultaneously. Everybody else turned to them with mildly reproachful looks.   
  
"This doesn't look like a den of evil bandits," Amethyst scratched her head as the stood over where the trail had led them.   
  
"No, this just looks....silly."   
  
"At least Val won't stand out then," Jol commented dryly. He felt the paired glares directed at him, and smirked. He didn't notice Xina blink and turn towards Val with a smirk of her own. Val, could hardly miss it.   
  
"What is it?" he asked resigned.   
  
"Would you two please keep a little quieter?" Xalan asked.   
  
"So why would a circus attack a travelling magician in the first place?" Amethyst asked. "Oh well, they must be using the circus as a cover for their evil...." Xalan brought her down quietly.   
  
"We're trying to keep QUIET," he repeated. Amethyst crossed her arms and hmphed.   
  
"You could be more polite about it," she chided. She looked back and immediately noticed the absence of a certain pair. "Where did Val and Xina go?"   
  
"Found them," Jol pointed to a pair of figures sneaking under the main tent. The shorter one virtually dragging along her partner.   
  
"Oh joy," Xalan muttered.   
  
  
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"Hey!" Sherra shouted happily, watching the thin stream of black power running between her fingers. "I'm getting back to normal."   
  
Good, at this rate you'll be totally cured in another decade or so. She growled at the sword and let the power dissipate. It was more than a little tiring.   
  
"Anyway, on to other things," she ignored the sword's grumblings, mostly anyway. "Hey, we're not on any specific mission here." Unfortunately, she had no idea where they had gone since that last battle. She hadn't learned much in this town either, something about an elf and a fox girl shopping for clothes and devouring someones larder. She waved her hand for the waitress to come over.   
  
"Are you SURE that..."   
  
"WE DON'T SELL BEAR MEAT!!!"   
  
"Mmmm, okay, I'll take some more of that.....whatever it was," she smiled cheerfully.   
  
"And you CAN pay for this, can't you?" Sherra dug around a little in her pockets and tossed some gems on the table.   
  
"Actually, I'm not certain, is that enough?" The waitress blinked, nonpulsed.   
  
"OHHHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!" Half the customers covered their ears in terror-filled pain, the remainder abandoned the building.   
  
L-Sama! WHAT is that? A buxom woman with graying hair sauntered up to the bar. She was in decent shape for someone of her age, but the outfit she was wearing definately belonged to a much younger woman.   
  
"I'm seeking news of Lina Inverse," she screeched out. Sherra snapped her mouth shut at the mention of Lina Inverse's name.   
  
"Somebody is after Lina," Sherra whispered, rubbing her hands together and smiling evily. "All I have to do is follow her around until she finds the little bi...I mean great lady and save her life. Then I'm sure Lina would be happy to..."   
  
After six hundred years I'd thought we'd gone through all the adolescent fantasy worlds.   
  
"Oh, be quiet."   
  
"You're saying there wasn't a red haired sorceress with an appetite the size of Shabrinigdo around here?"   
  
"There was someone that ate a lot, but she was some fox girl with purple hair."   
  
"Hey, why don't you go to Sairuun," Sherra shouted. "The prince regent is supposed to be here friend you know." Sherra turned to her food a moment and suddenly there was the fortyish woman sitting in front of her.   
  
"Is Philoniel still alive then?"   
  
"Uhh, no he got killed by a mazoku twenty years ago." Sherra sweatdropped, this woman was really out of the loop.   
  
"Ohh...it must be my dear sister then as PrinCESS regent, OHOHOHOHHO!!!!" and the woman was off before Sherra could retort.   
  
"Uhhh."   
  
  
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	4. Fun at the Circus

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Fun at the Circus  
  
  
  
"How can....a human.....travel so.....fast?" Sherra asked pantingly. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. This was humiliating, she was being out distanced by a human sorceress.  
~She is a sorceress, after all.~ The sword suggested. ~Maybe its an enchantment of some type.~ Sherra looked down the road, she could still see the dust cloud fortunately. The woman wasn't far off. ~And are you sure you don't want me to....help you a little?~  
"Well, I'm still bleeding red, but I'm almost twice as fast and strong as a human can get," Sherra said catching her breath. "I showed you I can channel power again. I can handle most things."  
~There is something else.~  
"Just a little hungry," she shrugged. "I'll do some hunting later."  
~I see.~  
"I think I can handle this. But I'm not running anymore." It took Sherra a moment to recreate the spell in her mind, she hadn't had much use for human magic until now. The magic came to her call, perhaps not as smoothly as Lina could when she had magic, but it came anyway. "RAYWING!!"  
The girl rose up into the sky and followed the retreating dust cloud.  
  
"Val would you at least try to be quiet?" Xina whispered. "You're going to get us..."  
"Excuse me," a clown extended an arm to block Xina and Val.   
"...caught," Xina finished under breath.  
"But I don't know you two."  
"That's probably because you've never seen us before," Xina answered cheerfully. The clown narrowed his eyes as Val facefaulted.  
"And just what are you doing here?"  
"I just thought that maybe we could get some pointers by....watching you?" Xina and Val looked around noticing that they'd been surrounded by a bunch of irate circus performers.  
"I don't think they like that idea," Val muttered.  
"We don't like you independent types," somebody said, cracking his knuckles. "So why don't..."  
"Oh, you didn't think we were going to be performing to your audience, did you?" They paused. "We're just going to be spectators for now like anybody else. I would never try to take another person's hard-earned cash." She smiled.  
"Hey, Kalus, come look at this," the first clown shouted. A grim looking man in bright red and frilly outfit stepped forward playing with a slim dagger. Xina swallowed as she noticed the silvery glint of the metal. "Is this poseur one of your were-creatures?" The clown laughed, using Xina to make fun of his fellow performer.  
Kalus, Val and Xina were unconcerned with the general merriment. The kage-kitsune dangerously eyed the knife-man's blade and rose her eyes up to his. Behind her, Val moved up protectively behind her. They both could tell by looking that the man knew or guessed more about Xina than was good. Kalus looked from the warning squint of Xina's fox eyes, to the forbidding glance of the dragon's eyes.  
"THEY aren't weres," he said simply. "I don't know what they are." He turned to leave. Xina and Val breathed a sigh of relief as the remainder of the crowd around them laughed.  
"Okay, we get the point," Val said. "We're leaving."  
"Yeah, yeah tell that sorcerer not to be so uptight," Xina hmphed turning around to walk out. They laughed at the comment.  
"He's just a knife-thrower with a flipped imagination," somebody laughed. There was a sudden puff of smoke. from somewhere else in the tent. "That's our magician, now get out of here, before we throw you out."  
"You couldn't throw us out if you..." Xina felt herself lifted up and looked down at Val's back as they were walking off. "Hey! What are you doing? Put me down!"  
"We're NOT getting in to a fight with that maniac hanging about," Val whispered. Xina growled and crossed her arms irritably.  
"I'm going to get you for this," she promised. "You know that don't you?"  
"Maybe later, right now we're heading back to," There was flash of darkness as he lifted the tent flap up, and then he found himself behind a man coughing in a cloud of smoke. "...the others?" He set Xina down in front of him and glared at her smuggly smiling face.  
"Well, that wasn't right," the man in front of them said, unaware of their presence behind him. He turned to his right and started flipping through a thick leather bound book. Xina's eyes sparkled as she noticed this, Val just shrugged resignedly.  
  
Amethyst and Xalan's ears twitched as they heard something. Amethyst turned back to tell Jol and noticed that the young swordsman was already calmly drawing his blade. He smiled at her confused look.  
"Well the good news is that they did find the woman's book," he told them.  
"And the bad news," Xalan started. "Is coming right now." The three of them looked down and saw Xina and Val coming out of the tent several yards ahead of an onrushing mob of clowns and acrobats, or at least people dressed as silly as Val was. Xina zipped by the three of them laughing happily.  
"I've got a book of magic, hee hee hee," and then she disappeared into the woods. Amethyst, Xalan and Jol turned each to the other two with a frustrated glare.  
"Now we'll have to get it back from Xina-san," Amethyst sighed.  
"Found the book," Val said unnecessarily as he passed the other three. Amethyst stood up and faced the on-rushing hoard. The dragon vanished after Xina.  
"Evil thieves and enemies of justice we shall smite you down with the hammer of justice!!" A cricket chirped as Amethyst's triumphant expression faltered a little and her eyes glanced nervously from left to right. "What?"  
"Is she serious?"  
"Yes," Xalan admitted.  
"You get used to it," Jol added.  
"Can we get on to the battle now? Or are we still discussing my public speaking skills?" Amethyst asked with an irritated dry sarcasm that would have been familiar to her mother.  
  
As the elf turned, drawing a glimmering blade, the light flared up against the aura of oppressive darkness about the one he was facing. He was young for an elf, but he came from the blood of elf-kings over many worlds. Power was as much his brithright as it was the creature of darkness before him.  
"I have no business with scum like you," he growled. The mazoku snickered from its cover of darkness, he was young too. His master, however, had scavenged the remains of power from many a destroyed mazoku, and both she and her minion were powerful beyond the extent of their lives.  
"You wish to see the time of elves again?" the mazoku asked. "When your people and mine contended over the field of battle without scuttling in the corners of a world ruled by men?" The elf's guard lowered slightly.  
"Of course," he answered. "The humans have forgotten their betters, it is time they remembered."  
"Then perhaps we have the makings of a temporary truce," the mazoku smiled. Before his transformation he had favored the direct approach. Now he saw the power of words as well as blades. This elf lordling would do his work for him, if he was at all lucky then the elf would perish before coming full into his power.  
"With such as you?"  
"The enemy of my enemy...." the elf arched an eyebrow.   
  
  
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	5. Hypnotists and Knife-Throwers

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Hypnotists and Knife Throwers  
  
  
  
The collected circus performers glowered cautiously at the three obviously battle ready...people in front of them. It took them about twenty seconds to decide that a twenty to three advantage was plenty even against trained warriors.  
"Okay, we're going to give you three about ten seconds to..."  
"Sorry but we're not leaving yet," Jol interrupted.  
"Your friend just..."  
"Unless I miss my guess you stole it first."  
"Wait a minute," Amethyst insisted. "Didn't she say that it...."  
"Was a bunch of orcs," Jol confirmed her statement.  
"Take a good..."  
"Nope, no orcs," Jol nodded.  
"Yeah their might not be any," Xalan narrowed his eyes. "But..."  
"Some of them smell like it." Jol nodded  
"Does he..."  
"Do I do what often?" Everybody glanced at Jol who was blinking in apparent innocent confusion. One of the carnival people turned flame red before raising his arm in prepation to shout.   
"GET...ooof!!!!!!" He found himself flying backwards about twenty feet and landing in a daze. There was some blinking and the carnival people looked again at the three fighters.  
"You cannot hope to beat us," Amethyst shouted. "We have justice on our side! Assuming Xina-san doesn't run off with Chindra-san's book." She said the last in much quieter tone of voice. There was a low dry chuckle and the crowd stepped forward to let a spectacled man through. He had gray hair that might have once been blonde, with a thick mustache over his mouth.  
"Your friends did not give me the opportunity to introduce myself," the man said. "I'm Lagos, and you are you?"  
"Why, I'm Princess Amethyst Lina Greywords-Sailoon, the.."  
"Sailoon!" the man shouted interrupting her. "Ah yes, the wonderous kingdom of Sailoon and the great spring time festival. I can see the sparkling garments of pure white even now." At this point several of the carnival staff started what appeared to be a line dance of some sort while wearing a shoddy imitations of Sailoon festive garb.  
"Huh what?" Amethyst blinked before this glazed expression came over her face and she cheerfully joined in with the dancing. "Yeah, its spring time! Whee!!"  
"Uh...Amethyst what are you doing," Xalan asked sweatdropping. Xalan narrowed his eyes at the gray haired man and tensed to move when something caught his attention first.  
"I got it here," Jol said, glancing at the spectacled man with a little bit of annoyance. Jol almost smiled as Xalan glared at him and left after the orcs he had smelled in the trees. Nobody liked knowing that someone was easedropping on their thoughts. Anyway back to the hypnotist. The man turned to the irritated if calm swordsman with a huge smile plastered on his face.  
"Well, apparently my less public oriented compatriots are going for my book," he smiled. "Maybe we should get acquainted, and who, sir, are you?"  
~A whole lot better than you.~ Jol smirked, as the man flinched.  
  
Xina sat down and cheerfully hugged the book to her as she leaned down to open it. She froze as the knife flashed by her face and thunked into the tree. She glanced at the quivering silver blade.  
"Okay, just what is your problem?" Xina snapped, looking in the direction the blade had come from.  
"One of your parents wasn't human," the Kalus said. "But I don't care about that, who's the other, and maybe I'll let you live."  
"My father was Xellos Metallium, you knife throwing freak," she stood up and her body was lined with shifting black shadow. It didn't really do anything, but she thought it might up the intimidation factor a little. "Just what do you think is going to happen here?"  
Kalus smiled and launched another silver blade, and Xina calmly raised a shield of shimmering light. Then she barely dodged as the silver seemed to absorb the shield's energy. The blade didn't stop in the tree this time, it blew through it. Xina wide-eyed looked through the smoking hole. The knife-thrower was equally surprised.  
"Okay, what did that," she didn't pause to think much longer, launching a light spear at the knife thrower. The man agilely brought the silver knife in his hand to block the projectile, and the spear's energy was again absorbed into the metal. "Oh shit."  
Xina rolled away as a knife shot toward her, the man kept the now charged blade in hand, obviously in case she got close. Xina wrapped herself in a flowing darkness to confuse her enemy's fire. The blades flew with less accuracy for a moment, but soon Xina found herself having to abandon the cloak. Kalus nearly missed her exiting the darkness and charging toward him, but he noticed her before she could get too close.  
~This is why I want to learn real magic.~ Xina said as she dodged and smacked away knives with her staff, trying to get closer to her attacker. A silver blade slashed through her sleeve, slashing into her arm and pinning her to the tree. ~Why do I always get picked on?~  
She gritted her teeth as the steam began rising from the burning wound, and reached up to grab the dagger out of the tree. Kalus laughed as she discovered the handle was silver too. He readied another blade, as Xina pulled the blade out screaming in pain.  
Distracted as she was, Xina didn't see the next knife coming in. Fortunately, she didn't have too. She dropped forward into Val as he was crushing the silver implement.  
"Don't try that again," he warned. Kalus smirked and tossed the charged knife finally. Val snarled before launching his head forward and opening a suddenly fanged mouth to release a roar of flame that incinirated the projectile in flight. The blaze continued on toward the shocked knife thrower, seeming to overtake him. When Val pulled back there was nothing, not even ashes remaining.  
"Did you get him?" Xina asked as she kicked away the silver knife that had hit her. She could smell him around, but that was mostly from their brief fight. She then glanced at her hand and the burned flesh there and along her upper arm.  
"I can't tell," Val muttered. "He might have left while the flames where between me and him." The dragon looked cautiously down at Xina and noted her injuries.  
"I hate silver," she muttered, a tear trailing down her face. She could have handled the stabbing, it was that burning of silver touching her flesh that terrified her.   
Val looked about again, trying to see if the knife thrower was still around, before kneeling down on the ground with her. Gingerly he took her hand in his and turned the burn to face out.  
"Keep your eyes open," he muttered and moved to check her arm. This was much worse, there was a burned out hole through her upper arm. "Amethyst would be better, but I can do a little." A white light gathered around his arm as he healed the wound.  
"The knives soaked my wall and spears," she muttered as the pain lessened and nerves and muscles repaired themselves. She flexed her hand and growled. "Thanks."   
"It's not a problem." Val brushed back her purple bangs and kissed her forehead lightly. Then they both blinked and stared at each other for a moment.  
"Did you...?" An orc head landed between them. Both looked up to see Xalan standing there, looking very cross.  
"Are you two scentless and deaf?" he asked, scanning about the clearing the battle had taken place. He walked calmly over and picked up the book this had all started over. He paused in walking back toward them to head for something on the edge of the clearing. Stepping up, he frowned back at Val. "And you even let that knife-thrower escape." He turned to leave and then snapped back at them to forestall any questions. "Come on, Amethyst and Jol might need help."  
  
"What the...?" All they could do was stare in confused awe. Xalan stood between his sister and the dragon, but he was too surprised to be angry at the moment.   
At the edge of the huge clearing where the carnival tent was pitched, Jol and Amethyst were being served tea by a blank looking Lagos. Scattered about the field were the other carnival people. They were ball-room dancing, sprawled unconscious, staring blankly into trees, and otherwise incapcitated.  
"Uh, what happened?" Val asked. Amethyst pointed at Jol and blinked in mild amazement.  
"I got annoyed." Jol said simply and took a drink of tea.   
  
  
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	6. Elven Troubles

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Elven Troubles  
  
  
  
Xina was fuming. The good news was that she was not capable of destroying small countries in a fit of pique. This was only small consolation for her traveling companions, none of whom had ever seen magic of the magnitude that Lina Inverse had used in the prime of her magical power. The only individual that was even remotely cheerful at the moment was Tinuviel. Well, Tinuviel was more than remotely cheerful. Okay...Tinuviel was a walking sugar high, but that's Tinuviel.  
"All that work for nothing," Xina grumbled.  
"Its not that bad," Amethyst suggested. "Its not like we found out its impossible or anything."  
"No, we started with that knowledge," Jol noted. Val and Xalan refrained from saying anything, past experience with Xina proved that she would go from fuming to shouting if you tried to cheer her up. Xina shouting while angry was an ear splitting event that they both wished to avoid.  
"But didn't you get a chance to read through the book, Xina-san," Tinuviel asked cheerfully. "It is such a wonderful art!"  
Xina halted in the middle of the road and growled, as she considered the cause of her current ill humor.  
  
"Xina-san, we have to give that book back to Chindra-san," Amethyst lectured as she caught the fox-girl flipping through the book. The chimera didn't bother to ask how it had gotten out of Xal's pack.  
"I'm just taking a peek," she insisted. "She said that anybody could learn this magic....look it even says right here...'Walter Gibson's Big Book of Magic for all Ages.'"  
"But you know we have to return it..."  
"Hey this shouldn't take long," Xina insisted. "Didn't you say my mother used to be one of the greatest sorceresses ever?"  
"Yeah, but..."  
"Okay, chapter one, 'How to create a simple yet challenging act.'" Xina scanned a few lines and slumped. Amethyst sweatdropped. "Chapter two, 'the performance,' 'dinner-table magic', 'tricks with cards'. What is this?!?"  
"Oh you recovered my book of magic tricks!" the robbed magician called out as they topped the rise. The entire group face faulted, except for Xina who just stared as the woman took back her book and examined it. "I'm so grateful, I still haven't learned everything in it."  
"Magic...TRICKS?" Xina blinked.  
"We were fighting orcs and knife-throwing maniacs for a book of magic TRICKS!?" Val added.  
"You aren't a sorceress?" Amethyst blinked.  
"What was all the fuss about then?" Xalan asked.  
"I never realized entertaining was such a cutthroat business," Jol said.  
"Val-kun, Chindra-san has been teaching me some tricks!" Tinuviel ran towards her target, almost bouncing. She was stopped by an arm snagging her and lifting her off the ground.  
"Where are you going?" Xina wasn't shocked THAT senseless.  
"I'm going to go show Val-kun what Chindra taught me," Tinuviel blinked at her. "Why?" Xina's temper had gone downhill from there.  
  
"I don't believe we went through all that fighting for nothing," Xina growled again.  
"When we get back to Sailoon you can talk to my father," Amethyst suggested. "And I'll bet your mother could help as well."  
"Yeah, right," Xina muttered. ~If she knew anything that would help, she'd still be casting magic.~ "Well I'm going to find some way around this moon junk you all say means I can't cast real magic!"   
The forest was quiet, as if it also was holding back from aggravating the fox girl. Jol blinked, the forest was way too quiet, especially to someone who had grown up among elves. He glanced at Xalan, the kage-kitsune was already watching the trees, so he wasn't imagining things. He cast about and felt a presence, something hidden from casual senses, magical and otherwise. Val and Amethyst also started glancing about nervously as the tension spread. Only the infinitely annoyed Xina and the generally unaware Tinuviel seemed to be ignorant of the situation.  
"It feels like an..." Jol started, as figures leaped down from the trees around them. "Ambush!"  
"DIE FIENDS!" somebody shouted angrily.  
"I'M NOT IN THE MOOD FOR THIS!!!! The battle ground was temporarily whited out in shimmering flash. As it cleared the ambushers glanced about looking for their targets.  
"Uh...where did they go?" one of the cloaked figures asked someone next to him. The ten or so attackers looked around the path confused. A couple of them went so far as to circle the tree growing in the middle of the road, as if all six of their targets could have disappeared around it. They didn't check the shadows in the tree's hollows, after all, they were too small to hide anyone in.  
"Wow," they turned to face the rather unenthused voice. "A perfectly implimented hunter's ambush manuever, right down to the attack formation." They found Jol levitating ten feet off the ground behind them.  
"Your attempts at flattery will not save you, rebel!"  
"You attack us unprovoked, and you call US fiends?" A magically levitating Amethyst glared down at them as she drifted into their sight range opposite Jolrael, on the other side of the tree. "Perhaps you need a lesson in justice!"  
"Maybe just practicality," Val added, also levitating, forming a third front. "Fifteen fighters without magician support, against us?"  
"We are knights of Beleriand," one of the cloaked men shouted. "We have our own powers...ATTACK!!" All the ambushers had their backs to the tree. Xina and Xalan spilled out of the tree's shadows and took their rear. Smashed from both sides the "knights" had no chance. The fight lasted less than two seconds. Tinuviel stepped out of the shadow looking confused at the scattered unconscious fighters.  
"The knights of Beleriand are revived?" she asked, confused and moderately worried. On Tinuviel this expression was terrifying. The idea of an event that could make Tinuviel treat it seriously was mind-numbing.  
"The last time they were active was the last civil war," Jol noted. Tinuviel shook her head, she knew Beleriand history up and down.  
"EVERY time they were active was during a civil war," she said. "And immediately before." She stared off towards her home.  
"Oh," Xina was surprised that she actually felt sorry for the girl. "Sorry..."  
"WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY!!!" Everybody facefaulted.  
"Tinu, our homeland seems to be on the verge of a self-destructive war and you're happy?" She nodded cheerfully, eyes closed.  
"I get to chronicle a civil war!"  
"Why am I not surprised," Xalan asked.  
  
"I can't believe we lost her," Sherra mumbled between bites.  
~Yes, odd that there would be so many taverns right along the road in one spot like that.~  
"Now I'm way out here, half way to Sailoon," she growled. "With no idea where anybody else is, and no way to prove to Xalan how much I..."  
~Oh please don't say it. You're supposed to be a mazoku!~  
"Stow it, sword," Sherra growled. "I can act human for a little longer yet."  
"You there!" she blinked and turned to look at a tall man in simple garb, armed with a sword and a bow strapped to his back. "It is illegal to hunt deer here! This land belongs to the house of Meiron!"  
"But this isn't deer," Sherra said irritably, not really interested in fighting at the moment.  
"It's not?" the man blinked, surprised.  
"Ruby-Eye, NO!" Sherra hmphed. "Not enough meat for my tastes."  
"Uh, what is this then?" Sherra pointed towards the bushes behind her, where the huntsman saw what appeared to be a pair of dead bears. He glanced nervously at the girl in front of him and back to the pile of bones already accumulated. Sherra arched an eyebrow at his now hesitant behavior.  
"What?" She asked. The huntsman ran screaming away. "What was that about?"   
  
  
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	7. An Angel's Boredom

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
An Angel's Boredom  
  
  
  
In the physical plane the high elves made ready for war, gathering a host such as had not been seen in ages. Gray elves, humans and half-elves faded out of sight, or simply disappeared, as the tension mounted. They could not openly face the power rising now, and they knew the source of elven military resurgance. An elf lord walked the world again, and, though his power was not yet great, the high elves flocked to this symbol of a resurgance of old glories.  
Beyond them Sailoon watched and Zelgadis arraigned the forces of his late wife's country to prepare for the coming battle. The elves had made a declaration to put the mortals "in their place" and not stop until this world rested in the hands of its rightful masters, the house of Feanor. As such even Zelgadis had ridden from the palace to the borders, moving with as little visibility as he could. So the Prince Regent added his power and presence to the borders of men and elves.  
Between both lay several small countries and unaffilitated villages, and most importantly, a large forest. Cut off from the outside world by her own choice, Lina never the less had some hint of things happening. Men and elves were moving through HER forest, and not bandits or in large groups. And she had other methods of collecting information. Foxes spoke of battle in the elf lands, though what they considered battle was probably only a murder or minor raid or two. Still, with what Lina knew of elven history, she was not comforted. And so Kitsune Forest was also preparing for war.  
In the middle of this mess seven travelers were wandering almost unaware. Six of them were, together, about to discover just how much the realm of the elves had changed in the past year. The seventh wandered alone seeking to gain the favor of the man who's sister she had tried to kill by following what amounted to a fool's quest.  
In the shadows a man armed with silver blades stalked the group of six, waiting to be lead to the were-child's lycanthrope parent. The fledging elf lord sought abominations of varied forms, half-mazoku, upstart human peasants, chimera and a dragon. By the reports of his ally the five held a elf noblegirl in captivity. That ally watched and waited for a chance to tear a pair of half-breeds apart and recover a staff for his mistress. That mistress stood on the astrally dead and physically ravaged Wolf Pack Island and made other preparations. She needed no pure flow this time, not with the walls between the worlds so devestated in this place, she merely needed the staff. Meanwhile, the remnant of a dead man's spell was slowly and silently killing a girl that was human but shouldn't be.  
In the north a storm was brewing. Dynast had lost track of his general, and in so doing his hand in the world. Frozen by the power of the water dragon king, he could only cast about seeking the answers to her severance from him. She was his eyes and ears, without her he was vulnerable. Granted Deep Sea Dolphin wasn't likely to do much against him at the moment, but still, it was a possibility. And he was producing a remedy for the situation, though it would be a while yet before it was ready.  
In the gray world of restless dead, two spirits hovered over their children and watched. In this realm between, they were no longer so different, merely two dead souls holding off from the Source and reincarnation in order to watch over family. They merely wondered what the powers that be had in store for there blood. By connection they also wondered where their insistant host had vanished too since daming Roquen to the Waste.  
  
"I have had enough of this," The Lord of Nightmares growled. "Since you have arrived my champion has been divested of the power that is her birthright, a mazoku that gets no power from me or mine is walking the world, the walls between the worlds have been nearly shattered." That had HURT, this world was made from her after all, and when it was damaged she felt it. If the world was to be destroyed it would be under her terms, not anybody else's. "And those vagabond elves are beginning to get above themselves again. How much of this is your doing."   
The darkness that was her "guest" smiled. If smile it could be called. In their pure forms, neither being could truly be viewed in human terms. They were not even really male or female, it was only the dominant impression one received from dealing with them.  
"I have done nothing," The current Angel of Death splayed out his hands innocently. She had always been impatient, though he had thought that she wouldn't last past fifteen years. Now here it was she had lasted almost until it was over before demanding explanation.  
"As you did 'nothing' when Osano-Wo toppled the Morningstar," she sneered back, she was one of the few that had seen the whole battle. She knew that the prowess of Osano-Wo had not been the cause of the victory. The Morningstar's defeat had been ordained in Gabriel Lycanus Kord's mind since the destruction of his people millenia before. "You toss about mention of the Old Ones casually, and yet I have seen nothing of there presence. I don't know where this Martina received her transformation, but it was not those abominations that gave it to her."  
"Of course not, even one of us would have been destroyed by trying that bargain," he mused. "They are coming though, and they are coming soon. Someone has grown bored and broken my seals, the barriers are down and only doors remain to be opened."  
"I would trust Arien's word above yours," the Lord of Nightmares growled. Her guest did not smile. Wolves and ravens across countless worlds ceased what they were doing for a moment while the Angel of Death considered the statement.   
He merely quietly gestured and opened a window on the Waste scanning through the warped and debased spirits it settled on one body, perfect and peaceful and dead. The Lord of Nightmares saw the dead child of Sif, and long-time mate of her guest. She really had been isolated from her former colleagues to have not heard of this.  
"The opening of the seals required sibling blood," the Angel of Death indicated. "Among other things of course. She's been dead since before this world of yours experienced the Kouma War. Every so often I can catch sight of her spirit flitting about the Waste. But sight is all it is."  
"Sibling blood? Osano-Wo? Why?" She was angry, she hated not knowing what was going on, though it had never been a problem while the other powers kept out of her realms.  
"Before you joined the ranks of the Creators, you were a War Goddess," Lycanus noted. "We have had peace since the Morningstar was trapped in his lake of ice. The Angel of War seeks a new glory, and has taken up where his former opponent left off. He does not have a world to play with to keep him occupied, Morrigan." The Lord of Nightmares glared, she no longer used the name long ago given to her upon the day of her creation.  
"He never did like his sister taking up with a creature of darkness such as you," The Lord of Nightmares noted. "Have all the Powers of Change been destroyed?"  
"Aside from Nightmare and Death?" he asked salaciously. "Yes, which brings us to the children of your champion." A window opened on a pouting Xina and exasperated looking Xalan. The Lord of Nightmares looked closely and realized something.  
"Selene's essence, she channels the primal force of all Moons," the Power noted. "You think that by replacing Imagination's place with this snip of a mortal that you can stop the Archangel? Osano-Wo would not even notice her to swat."  
"We were all 'snips of a mortal' at one time," Lycanus noted wryly.   
  
  
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	8. Scouting the Situation

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Scouting the Situation  
  
  
  
"Why aren't we going into the city," Amethyst asked. "Shouldn't we be reporting those 'knights' or whatever to the magistrate?" Jol looked at Amethyst as if she had just asked whether they were going to fall of the edge of the world. The chimera princess blinked and looked around for the source of his amazement. "What?"  
"How can we possibly do that?" Xina demanded.  
"What's wrong with that idea?" Amethyst demanded.  
"Elves don't have magistrates," Xina rolled her eyes as she picked out one of the few pieces of elvish history that had managed to stick in her head from listening to Filia and her mother. Sitting behind her Val slapped his forhead, Xalan facefaulted out of the tree he was keeping a look out from, and Jolrael rolled his eyes heavenward asking for patience.  
"But if we don't go into the city we'll never figure out whether the knights are supported by the House of Feanor or not!" Tinuviel whined. Everybody looked at Tinuviel and sweatdropped.  
"We're being hunted," Xalan said irritably, he looked back into the forest. Several times he had almost caught a scent following them, and it wasn't an elf. "We can't sit forever."  
"I'm heading to the Gabriev lands as soon as it is dark," Jol said, he turned to Tinuviel. "Are you coming Tinuviel?" The elf looked from her notebook and blinked.  
"Hmm, go where?" she asked, blinking. Jolrael sighed and was about to clarify when Xalan called for attention from his recovered lookout position. Amethyst and Xina heard what had caught his attention only moments later and creeped to the edge of the campsight to watch for other signs.  
"What is it?" Val asked, staying back for fear that his rather irritating outfit would stand out too much.  
"Lots of people moving," Xalan said. "We need a closer look." Next to Amethyst, Xina nodded. In the next instant Jol felt an absence, and looking about saw that the twins had virtually vanished.  
"I hope they know what they're doing," Jolrael said. Any large group of people in this area were likely to be elves, and that meant they'd be harder to sneak up on the humans.  
"Xalan-san would certainly take no risks," Amethyst noted. "Xina-san, on the other hand." Amethyst and Jol sweatdropped.  
"Ooo, Val-kun I'm scared!" the swordsman and chimera turned to see a nervous dragon being glomped by a not even close to nervous elf.  
"Maybe its a good thing that Xina-san left after all," Amethyst sighed. Then Amethyst shook her head and decided to ask a question that had been plaguing her for some time. "Excuse me, Jolrael-san, why do you like her?" Jolrael turned from his jealous glare to attend to the question.  
"Well..." Jolrael, paused in confusion, glanced at Tinuviel flushed, and then gathered his normal attitude. "Uh...I can't answer that right now."  
"As you say, Jolrael-san," Amethyst sighed.  
Val, meanwhile, teleported out of Tinuviel's glomp into the higher branches of the tree Xalan had been in. Tinuviel blinked in confusion, and then whipped out her notebook before going into a running commentary on how exactly her "Val-kun" had vanished like that.  
"What is with her?" he asked himself, sweatdropping.  
  
"YOU!!!" The graying woman turned to the sound and found an angry-looking blue-haired girl standing behind her and pointing. She seemed vaguely familiar somehow, she also looked like she hadn't been eating well of late. "I've been trying to find you everywhere!! How can a damn MORTAL move so FAST?!!"  
~Sherra, you're mortal right now, you don't want people getting any other ideas.~ Sherra sweatdropped at the sword's comment.  
"Oh, I remember you, you're the one that suggested speaking to my sister in order to find Lina Inverse," the older woman said. Sherra blinked in confusion for a moment.  
"I suggested the Prince Regent Zelgadis, who's your sister?" The older woman laughed and Sherra covered her ears to keep the painful sound out.  
~I can't do that you know,~ Duofolger whined. ~This hurts.~  
"Oh don't be silly," she waved her hand in dismission of the comment. "There is no Zelgadis in the lines of inheritance, so it must be my sister Amelia on the throne." Sherra smirked.  
~Time for a little lunch,~ she thought eagerly. "Oh, but Zelgadis was her husband. Amelia Wil Tesla Sailoon died in childbirth."  
"WHAT!!?!" The woman shrieked. "When did that happen?"  
~Shouldn't I be...oh...I'm still human, that's right,~ Sherra shrugged, and proceeded to break the news. "Seventeen years ago now, wait if she's your sister.."  
"Yes, I am Gracia wil Naga Sailoon," the woman declared arrogantly. "The rightful ruler of Sailoon." She held a dignified pose, completely ruined by the fact that she was a older woman in a battle bikini, for a few seconds, before relaxing. "Assuming I ever bother with the whole mess that is."  
~'Naga'? Great, just great, I'm stuck following one of the great loonies of the age,~ Sherra nearly screamed, somebody else beat her too it.  
"These lands have encroached on our realms for long enough!" a voice shouted. "Hear now that the House of Feanor lays claim to this village."  
"What insolence is this?" Naga demanded turning to the shout to see nearly twenty elven spearman with a mail-clad knight at the head.  
"Feanor," Sherra spit the house name.  
~Fighting twenty elves as you are wouldn't be your smartest move.~ Sherra, of course, ignored the comment.  
"This village is on neutral ground belonging to no Kingdom!" Naga declared, stepping forward. "You know as well as I that these villages are left as an intentional buffer between Beleriand and Sailoon, do you WANT war?"  
"Of course they want war," Sherra said. "What is the House of Feanor good for." She smiled darkly at the thought, that was part of the reason that the elves had been allowed into the world. Of course the other was that their were several elf-lords at the time they arrived who were capable of fighting mazoku on even footing.  
"This land belongs to the elves now," the elf-knight declared. "Who are you and what do you hope to do to stop us?" The spearmen arrogantly shoved the various villagers out of the way as they circled the two female "humans."  
"I am Naga the White Serpent! Sorceress supreme, Lina Inverse's Greatest and Closest rivals" Naga broke into her laugh and the collected people cringed.  
"Oh, one of those annoying lunatics with the crazy laugh, this makes three I've met before," the elf-knight said irritably. "And who's the sick-looking girl?" Sherra smirked, and wiped her brow non-chalantly.  
"I am Sherra Grausherra," she answered simply. The elf-knighted started scrambling to get away.  
"Kill them!"  
"Wind, crimson flame. Grant the power of thunder to my hand! DIGU VOLT!"   
"You who crosses between sky and earth, gently flowing water, gather in my hand and give me power: DEMONA CRYSTAL!"   
The resulting battle was short.  
"Well, that was irritating," Naga snorted. "Imagine mistaking me for one of those cheap imitations!" She turned to Sherra, in time to see the exhausted girl slump to her knees. "Excuse me, are you feeling okay?"  
"I'm just a little hungry," Sherra snapped.  
~It seems you're always just a little hungry recently.~ Duofolger noted seriously. ~And always eating.~  
"Shut up, sword." Sherra whispered it under her breath.  
"Well, for you're aid, Miss...Grausherra, I believe you said your name was," Naga suggested. "I believe that I can treat you to a meal." Sherra blinked and arched an eyebrow, wondering if a meal with this woman was safe.  
"Then I suppose we can return to looking for the late Lina Inverse?"  
"After I talk with this Zelgadis fellow," the graying woman growled, stomping off.  
"But I thought you were dead set on finding the Dra Matta!!"  
~You're pathetic,~ Duofolger sounded tired.  
  
Xina and Xalan watched the passing host carefully. There were hundreds of elves passing through the trees and heading towards Sailoon. Sailoon by way of THEIR forest, they assumed.  
"This puts a new light on things," Xalan muttered.  
"I'm getting really annoyed with elves," Xina agreed. The kage-kitsune faded back away from the passing elves, and returned to the others.  
"We can't stay..." Xalan cut off as he saw that there was someone new sitting at camp.  
"Xina-san, we have news," Amethyst declared cheerfully as the visitor stood up to face them.  
"Why, you must be Lina's children," the woman said pleasantly. "It is good to see you after so many years."  
"Who are you?" Xina demanded of the tall, dark-haired woman sitting comfortably on the ground across from Jolrael. Suddenly the small campsite was suddenly crowded with green-clad elves and a few woodsman.  
"How did...?" Xalan decided to ignore the comment this made on his alertness.  
"Did you think wood elves would be as easy to fool as high elves?" one of them asked.  
"Xina and Xalan Metallium," Jol said. "Meet my mother, Sylphiel Gabriev." Xina and Xalan blinked as the woman bowed with quiet smile on her face.   
  
  
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	9. Joining the Resistance

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Joining the Resistance  
  
  
  
"Your Jol's mom?" Xina asked surprised. She looked from the arrogant younger boy to the sweetly smiling woman and scratched her head. The hair was the same, but even at sixteen Jolrael was much bigger.  
"Yes, would you mind sitting down, I was just making some tea."  
"Tea? Where'd you get..."  
"Don't ask," Jol said. "She just produces tea anywhere, anytime, no one else has figured it out yet."  
"Really?" Val said, turning to Sylphiel. "Do you know my mother?"  
"Why yes I do," Sylphiel nodded. "Now please sit down, my husband should be back with the rest of the scouts."  
"I get the feeling that you are assuming that we'll be travelling with you," Xalan said, still irritated that someone had gotten the better of him in wood craft. He wondered if travelling by shadow hopping had been how he had missed the scents.  
"I think that makes the most sense, Xalan-san," Amethyst said, she sounded shocked. "The High Elves are marching on Sailloon."  
"We knew that," Xina said.   
"So you were there!" a number of wood elves turned irritated glances at the speaker. Xalan smirked, perhaps he hadn't been as out done as he thought.  
"No they were just as surprised about you as you were about them," Jolrael informed him.  
"Would you please..."  
"Stop what?" Jol interuppted the kage-kitsune, as if he didn't know what Xalan meant.  
"Jolrael Gabriev," everybody blinked in surprise at the sudden serious tone in the priestess's voice. "What have I told you about reading peoples' minds with out asking first."  
"Sorry, mom," Jol sighed.  
"Jolrael-san apologized," Amethyst blinked. "I didn't think anybody but Luna-sama could make him do that."  
"Hey, he's never done that to me," Xina noted.  
"Remember that day I had the really bad head ache?" Jol asked suddenly.  
"Oh, that was when it only cost me about a two hundred gold for your lunch right?" Amethyst asked. Sylphiel and various wood elves familiar with Gabriev appetites sweatdropped.  
"What does that have to do with reading my mind?" Xina asked.  
"The headache was from reading your mind."  
"JOLRAEL!!" Everybody stared wide-eyed at Sylphiel in mild shock.  
"What do you mean by that?!!" Xina demanded.  
"Never mind," Jol sighed. "Sorry about that."  
"He apologized again," Amethyst said. "Can you teach me how you do that?" Jolrael rolled his eyes.  
"Certainly, Amethyst-chan," Sylphiel smiled. "I'd be glad to." And now Jolrael looked very nervous.  
"Wow, you went into Xina's mind and came out sane," Val gave an impressed whistle.  
"HEY!!!" Everybody ignored Xina throwing a rock at the dragon.  
Xalan looked over and noticed the little blonde girl sitting with Tinuviel. The girl was repeatedly pointing at a picture and asking what it was, and Tinuviel was repeatedly giving very technical explanations. Explanations he couldn't follow, but suspected they were all about different things. Probably ink, the style of the drawing, the book, everything but whatever the picture itself was.  
"Is this the right place for a child of that age?" Xalan asked. He didn't say it, but he knew who's child it was, there was only one human woman around after all.  
"No it is not," Sylphiel answered, giving him a look at the implications against her parenting. "That is why Tinuviel and Kyrie will be escorted to join the other refugees."  
"Excuse me, but why would Tinuviel-chan have to leave," Amethyst asked. "She has been travelling with us without getting into much trouble."  
"Except the time she got taken prisoner," Val noted.  
"Or when she set off the booby traps in the dwarf hold," Xalan added.  
"Or shaved my head after SOMEONE hit me with FIVE Megido Flares," Xina snapped. "My lovely hair's been recovering ever since." She ran her hands through her purple hair and smiled.  
"You're a lot like you're mother," Sylphiel noted, after the long silence that followed that statement.  
"Not to mention we did first find her as a prisoner of bandits," Amethyst added trying to change the topic away from Xina's comment. "And there was the incident with Jolrael-san's sword."  
"She's been useful," Jol said in her defense. Everybody looked at him. "Once or twice."  
"Please, you might hurt her feelings," Sylphiel lectured them. They all looked to Tinuviel who was hurriedly and excitedly taking down notes.  
"Don't stop now! It was just getting....oooo....I never thought I'd see one of those this time of year," Tinuviel started following a butterfly.  
"Never mind," Sylphiel sighed. "But you see Tinuviel is barely eighty years old, and has none of the training that you others do. You had no choice before, I understand, but now, she needs to be taken somewhere safe. That is what you were planning on anyway, is it not?"  
"Gomen nasai, Sylphiel-sama," Amethyst said. "You are correct."  
"Dad's coming," Jol said about half a second before the ears began twitching among all the hyper-sensitive hearing races present. A blonde human swordsman just sauntered into the campsite coming from downwind and casually walking with almost no noise.  
"Hey Jol, how's your day been?" he asked, as if he had last seen his son the day before. Jol and Sylphiel wondered if perhaps that was about what his memory said. Gourry Gabriev turned toward Val and blinked. "Hey...aren't you the guy that tried to..."  
"Gourry-dear," Sylphiel cut him off. "Lina-san's and Zelgadis-san's children are here as well." He blinked and turned to Amethyst and the Twins.  
"Oh Hi! Hey, do any of you know a guy with lots of silver knives?"  
"That psychopath is STILL following us?" Xina snapped.  
"Can you people keep quite please?" one of the circle of elves asked.  
"Oh, sorry about that," Xina said.  
"He tried to kill Xina," Val said levely with narrowed eyes.  
"Oh, well I sort of got him lost," Gourry shrugged.  
"Good," Xalan muttered. "Too bad you didn't kill him."  
"What about the High Elves?" it was another wood elf.  
"Well, I didn't look very high," Gourry said scratching his head. "But I saw some elves yeah." The younger Slayers looked from Gourry Gabriev to Jolrael Gabriev, and back, and then back again.  
"Yes, he IS my father," Jol admitted.  
"No wonder Father and Lina-sama were so surprised," Amethyst said.  
"Gourry-dear, where were the elves?"  
"The last of them will pass us in about an hour," he said. "They aren't coming up this way, they think all the wood elves and humans are cowering to the North, sent someone that way."  
"How do you know that?" Xalan asked. "The commanders were talking strategy so I listened."  
"Hey, I can speak elven you know." Everybody stared in open amazement, apparently Gourry had gotten close enough to overhear the heads of this force and got out again undetected. The impressive part was that he didn't seem impressed by this himself.  
"Are you sure he's human?" one of the elves asked his nearest comrade.  
"Well, I suppose we'll have to wait until they passed before our various parties leave."  
"So what's going to happen?" Xina asked.  
"Well, Tinuviel and Kyrie, will, as I said, leave with the last of the non-combatants for Zephilia and safety," Sylphiel noted.  
"The rest of us are going to follow the high elves and hit them from behind as soon as they enter battle," Jol said.  
  
Kalus growled as he came across the same tree for perhaps the fifth time in that day. Whoever it was that he had fought had taken him in so many false trails that he had no idea where he was any more. He certainly had no hope of finding the half-were's trail again. Excpet perhaps by luck. He tossed a dagger into a tree in frustration and growled.  
The slight chink of metal was the only warning he had before the mail-clad elves appeared, wielding enchanted spears and ready to fight.  
"Human scum," one of the elves spat. "You were all told to leave our bounds!"  
"I'm.." he didn't get to finish the statement as someone slammed a hard piece of metal against the back of his head.  
"Shall we look for others?"  
"No, he's not a Beleriand native," the first speaker said disdainfully. "We'll question him later when he wakes up."   
  
  
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	10. The Laugh she thought was Gone Forever

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
The Laugh she thought was Gone Forever  
  
  
  
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" Sherra paused in eating long enough to wince. "Your appetite seems to rival my one-time side-kick!!"  
~Why are we travelling with this....creature?~  
"She pays for the food," Sherra snapped.  
"What was that, child? Did you say something?" Sherra glowered at the "child" remark.  
"Hmm, we're not the only strangers in town," Sherra noted, glancing at a small group of assorted men and women as they entered the inn. The six of them looked like travelers. They were all human, at least they looked that way. Sherra noted a second small group already seated look up and nod in recognition.  
"Well, of course not. Simple child," Naga tsked impatiently. "The villages we've already passed must be fleeing the oncoming armies."  
"Those," Sherra pointed to a whipped looking bunch of farmer types. "Are refugees, those people are something else." She squinted her eyes and concentrated on the hushed conversation coming from the now decent sized group.  
"...protect...safe haven"  
"...few....those..."  
"....many...coming?"  
"Quiet...watc..." They all turned to face Sherra who returned to her eating, watching them out of the corner of her eye.  
~Something is coming,~ Duofolger noted suddenly.  
"I need to check something, err, Naga..." Sherra snapped, jumping to her feet.   
"What's the hurry," Naga asked. "You children, always running everywhere." Naga tsked again as Sherra rushed out of the inn, the strangers watching her.  
"RAYWING!!" Sherra was getting much better at this human magic, she lifted into the air without so much as a flutter in her flight.  
~Careful not to strain yourself too much.~  
"Now who sounds like a mortal," Sherra asked snidely as she directed herself away from the village in the direction she had first come from. If she didn't know better she'd say the sealed mazoku was concerned for her. Well, since his release was dependent on her, he had a right to be. "From this direction right?"  
~Yes, lots of anger and hatred,~ the sword confirmed. ~Lovely meal, but probably not healthy for you right now.~ Sherra growled enviously.  
"There! Its a whole damn army!" Sherra pointed out the movement at the edge of her vision. "Five hours maybe, let's get back and evacuate that town."  
~Why not just leave ourselves?~  
"I'd rather be a target among many," Sherra noted as she turned back. Duofolger responded with a mental nod. A short time later she landed in the village again, sauntered into the inn and started shouting. "HEY!! The elves are on their way here, everybody should get going!" As the news started spreading like wild fire, Sherra considered whether or not to get anything else to eat. She didn't feel THAT hungry though, and there were more immediate concerns.  
"How do we get to Sailoon with all these elves cutting us off," Naga asked of her "younger" companion. Apparently she was treating the war like some kind of personal affront.  
"We'll just go through that forest," Sherra shrugged.  
"The forest!! But that's Kitsune Forest!" a villager shouted. "There are monsters in there! We can't go there."  
"Please try not to act so foolishly," Sherra turned to face the voice and face faulted. The tall blonde woman turned to face her and walked forward. "Sherra Grausherra."  
"Filia," Sherra awknowledged as she stood up. Filia narrowed her eyes suscipiciously and then blinked.  
"One of your eyes is human," the dragon noted.  
"Only one!!" Sherra declared cheerfully.  
"Why does everyone react to this urchin and not to me?" Naga demanded. "I am Naga the White Serpent, sorceress supreme!!"  
"Filia-san, you know these people," Sherra turned to see one of the eight strangers.  
"I've met Sherra," Filia admitted. "It seems there are more of you than I can remember as well."  
"There aren't many places safe for us," the first speaker said, shrugging. "Word spread that she had called for assistance."  
"I see, well how many elves are coming?" Filia's voice in talking to Sherra was beyond cold, but Sherra was used to that.  
~No magicians, lots of infantry, an exploratory force.~  
"An exploratory force," Sherra said. "No magic, about five hours out maybe."  
"We should have an easy time routing them!" Naga declared suddenly. Then perhaps there will be time to reach Sailoon before the rest of the army follows. I want to meet my brother-in-law. OHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"  
"Please wait here," Filia said. Sherra had no doubt that it was a command. Then she turned to a villager. "You people should flee into the forest, you will have no problem reaching Sailoon."  
"H-h-hai Filia-sama!" the villager declared spreading the news.  
"Who are you to give ME orders," Naga demanded as civilians cleared the room.  
"She's a dragon priestess," Sherra informed her, irritably.  
"And what is that to Naga!" Filia merely rolled her eyes and took flight by Raywing, not wanting to reveal her dragon nature to the locals just yet.  
"And who are you, girl?" one of the strangers demanded of Sherra.  
"Can I borrow a knife first?" Sherra demanded. "I want to check something." Oddly enough the man shrugged and handed her a slim dagger.   
The blue-haired girl surprised everyone by using it to slash a line across her palm. Though what really surprised them was dark color of her blood, and how it almost seemed to be bleeding as a mist.  
~This is good,~ Duofolger noted. ~Its still blood, and its still red, but you're healing.~  
"A mazoku," Sherra said sweetly. "Why do you ask?"  
~Sherra, please stop being an idiot and trying to get yourself killed.~  
"Oh, as if you care," Sherra snapped.  
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!! You must forgive my delusional friend," Naga demanded. "We are both sorceresses in search of my old travelling companion, Li..."  
"Lina Inverse?" the man asked.  
"How did you know that?" Sherra asked.  
"Because we're here to help her as well," he said.  
"Wow, I didn't think that little message would get that much of a....oh bloody hell!! That can't be who I think it is. You!! You...you....almost smell human," Lina said, rage changing to confusion.  
"Long story," Sherra muttered. The graying sorceress blinked and looked over the fox woman.  
"You seem familiar," Lina turned the voice and paled.  
"Oh...no...not YOU!!" Much to everyone's surprise Lina fainted.  
"Obviously she is overwhelmed by my awesome and gorgeous presence," Naga declared. Leaving certain cosmic forces to try and trace her bloodline for signs of the family known as "Kuno." "But she still seems very familiar."  
"Hey Inverse! Wake up you guy-stealing..." Sherra suddenly remembered she wanted to be on Lina's good side. "Brilliant, beautiful...uh...former sorceress."  
"What is that about?" Filia asked...the still nameless travelers shrugged..confused.  
"I must not be sleeping enough..." Lina said as she came to. "I could have sworn I just saw!"  
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!! Lina Inverse is that you!?" Naga gasped.   
"AAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! NAGA!!!" Lina snapped to standing and regarded Naga with outright shock. "First my sister and now NAGA!? Does the universe bear me a grudge!?"  
"Should we kill here?"  
"No no...she might be useful," Lina said, reluctantly...very reluctantly.  
"My, my, you grew breasts eventually after all. Somewhat at least," Naga noted condescendingly  
"Gee...thanks, Naga," Lina growled, glancing back at Filia.  
"I didn't know who she was," Filia said, glaring at Sherra.  
"What are you doing here?"  
"Well I was...well..." Sherra stammered.  
~YOUR SIX HUNDRED YEARS OLD!!! STOP ACTING LIKE A TEENAGER!!~  
"Quiet you!" Sherra thumped her sword. "Well you see I met your son, and..." Lina cut her off before she could get any further.  
"Nevermind, its time for some serious business." Lina looked in the direction of Beleriand.  
"Like sticking it to the House of Feanor?" Sherra said hopefully.  
~How'd I get stuck with an adolescent for six hundred years?"   
  
  
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	11. Avoid the Forest

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Avoid the Forest  
  
  
  
"Why are they stopped?" the wood elf demanded of no one in particular.  
"They haven't," the human next to him noted. "At least not all of them, various small units have been breaking off and moving south all day."  
"Why would they scout only south?" The elf tried to cover his surprise of the human next to him.  
"My dad said they're not scouts," Jolrael said. "Besides there are too many for just scouts."  
"They're going through home," the elf whirled to face the new voice and swallowed nervously at the sight of the two half-mazoku.   
"They're going to be ripped to pieces if they keep going in two and threes like that." The purple-haired fox girl smiled viciously.  
"You'd think they'd be more aware of what lays that way," Jolrael sighed. "I can't do too much without getting noticed by whoever has stepped forward to claim the dubious honor of Lord of the House of Feanor, but they seem to be massing shortly into the forest beyond."  
"What does lie in that direction?" The elf asked, suddenly nervous.  
"Home," the red-haired fox-man noted.  
"What does that mean?"  
"Mom doesn't like uninvited guests."  
  
"I don't like the feel of this forest," one of the elven warriors noted. "It doesn't feel like a normal forest, nor like the woods of Beleriand."  
"Yes, there's something...wild about it," the warrior next to him noted. "Why are we going this way anyway?"  
"Isn't that obvious, Sailloon has massed its forces along its Northern border," the first speaker said. "We supposed to get in behind them." The elf paused for a moment and stared into the forest. "I've never seen so many foxes in so little space."  
"We're being watched."  
The rumor passed through the ranks as they marched for the next several minutes, until finally the collected army of elves came to the edge of a clearing in the forest to see a deserted human village.  
"They heard we were coming," one of the elves reasoned. "But what human could get close enough to..." There was a sudden outcry from the ranks behind them. They turned back to see several skirmishes in progress, though they couldn't tell quite what the enemy was yet. Somehow they had appeared in the middle of the ranks and they were tearing through the ranks at an alarming rate.  
It soon became obvious that they were facing at least six lycanthropes with enough control to take whichever aspect they wanted. Nobody had any silver weapons to use, but most of the elves decided that they could probably do enough damage that it would be possible to take a head and kill the weres. This was a rather futile thought actually, and a fair number of elves decided to turn and run rather than face the risk of death.  
Three more figures appeared floating in midair behind the elves' ranks shortly before a series of explosions and icy blasts tore through the back ranks. The five thousand or so elves might have stood a chance if they had maybe a hundred or magicians with them. As it was only one bedraggled elf managed to slip throught the storm of claws and magic.  
"Well, that was easy," Sherra said.  
"What idiots," Lina hmphed. "What kind of idiot sends on army that size and doesn't send any magicians."  
"Lina-san," Filia noted. "Not everybody comes from a country or race where almost everybody knows magic."  
"But these are ELVES," Lina protested. "They should know better."  
"Are there any stragglers," one of the visiting lycanthropes, in human form again, asked.  
"Flee you fool!! Flee before the tremendous might of Naga the White Serpent!! HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!" This was followed by a large number of explosions as Naga flew by chasing one of the few remaining elves.  
"I think laughing girl has got them," Sherra noted. "Can we get something to eat? I'm feeling a litt..." Sherra fell forward to the ground. Filia and Lina looked at each in confusion, then at the fainted mazoku.  
"Okay, Sherra, I don't get the joke, but could you quit it now?" Lina scowled as the mazoku didn't respond. She walked over and turned over the girl. Not that she was looking, Lina could tell that Sherra seemed thin. Which was odd since, from listening to Naga talk, she had been eating to rival Lina since they met. Even more odd since mazoku feed on negative emotions which were usually easy to find.  
"I suppose its too much to hope that she's dead," Filia sighed. Some of the werecreatures stared at her in surprise. "She's tried to kill us on occaision."  
"Then why did you let her join us?"  
"A mazoku general was willing to help," Lina said. "I wasn't going to complain, after all an elf lord is just as much a problem for them as for us." At the words "mazoku general" Lina's peers stared at the unconscious blue-haired girl. Lina kicked the girl slightly.  
"She doesn't smell like a mazoku," one of them noted.  
"Yeah weird, isn't it," Lina shrugged and started to turn away.  
~You owe her.~  
"I was wondering when you'd speak up," Lina growled. "What do you mean I 'owe' her?" Filia glanced at her curiously, and Lina pointed at the sword and the dragon nodded.  
~The spell that did this to her was meant for your son,~ Duofolger informed her. Lina narrowed her eyes. ~She got in the way.~  
"And why did she do that?" Lina asked.  
~She gets these...crushes...from time to time.~ Lina slapped her hand to her forehead.  
"Great, my daughter is dating someone who tried to destroy the world, and a mazoku general has a crush on my son," she sighed.  
"Lina-san, you are not being entirely fair to my son," Filia hmphed. "He is not the same person that summoned Darkstar."  
"Yeah, sorry about that," Lina sighed. "We'll have to do something to help her I guess, but not here. Let's bring her to my place."  
  
"My Lord Fimore," the elf dropped to his knees in front of the awesome presence of the new heir to the house of Feanor. "A survivor has returned from the Forests to our South."  
"A survivor?" The young elf lord was incredulous. "A survivor as in they were defeated? A survivor as in there's only one?!!"  
"He was raving about beasts that blades would not cut and fire, my lord," the elf said. "And being watched by foxes. Maybe the villagers are all sorcerers my lord." There was a low laughter from a corner of the tent, and a quiet rattling of chains.  
"You have something to add to this, human?"  
"You're fools," Kalus said quietly. "I know what is in the forest to the south of us. I've spent most of my life hunting such things."   
"Are you going to tell us what it is?"  
"No you're going to go let me kill it," the human said arrogantly. "I don't care about anything else, exterminate all the humans if you want to. In some way these things are human so I'll be helping you. Kill me if you want after that." The elf lord smiled.  
"This has merit," he said. "But don't think that you can go alone. You'll have watchers."  
"As long as I get to draw the blood," Kalus smiled in return.   
  
  
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	12. Another Change

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Another Change  
  
  
  
He stood in the wreckage of the caravan and looked about with satisfaction. Despair and pain wafted across the battlefield, and there were no other mazoku in the area to steal any of it away from him. His power was growing, and as his power grew, so would his mistresses. He glanced down at two of the unconscious refugees and smirked.  
"These two will prove useful," he smiled picked them up and vanished.  
  
The elf stopped on his patrol and glanced back for a moment. He could have sworn that he'd heard something, but there was nothing there but some shadows. He shrugged and went back on patrol. There was no way anybody could get past the outer patrols anyway. He glanced up at the overcast night sky and sighed, wondering if it was going to rain.  
As soon as he passed three people seemed to appear. Jolrael just stepped forward, as if he had been there the entire time, just nobody noticed him. Xina and Xalan seemed to rise out of the shadow cast by the clouds overhead.  
"They're lazy," a voice whispered deprecatingly. "Almost as bad as you Xina."  
"Hey!" Xina's voice came in whispered gasp.  
"I don't suppose it would do much good if I asked you to be quiet," Jol sighed. Xalan shrugged and Xina fumed. "Good, let's get this over with then." The twins vanished into the shadow at Jolrael's feet again, and again dropped away from all his senses. It was as if they didn't even exist in this world when they did that, sometimes it disturbed him.  
Jolrael idly wondered how long Amethyst would be able to keep up the cloud cover before someone noticed that it was magical in nature. The swordsman strode absently through the tents, ignoring the people around him. Finding the Lord's tent was an easy undertaking, it was the largest in all the camp.  
Jolrael stopped short of approaching it though. A patch of shadow thickened at his feet and Xina's head stuck out.  
"What's the hold..." she sniffed the air, Xalan's head appeared along the otherside of Jolrael. He sniffed the air as well and sighed irritably.  
"Mazoku," the three of them said at once. The kage-kitsune glanced around nervously for a moment before stepping out of the cloud's shadow again. Jolrael yawned and walked forward as the twins swept from shadow to shadow closer to the Lord Fimore's tent.  
"...have been destroyed," a voice was saying.  
"You can count on that," Jolrael, Xina and Xalan blinked as they recognized the voice. Xina cringed a little, thinking of various unsatisfactory encounters with the owner of that voice. "Have you found the ones I seek?"  
"I am not your errand boy, dark one," the elf lord growled. "When the humans are gone you and I will meet over the field and I shall tear you asunder." Zangulus smirked.  
"Until that time...we have a bargain," he smiled. "Now when you DO locate those half-breeds you might want to tell them a certain blue-haired nuissance might want to see them soon." Jol nearly charged forward then, but Xalan stopped him.  
"You sound as if you don't trust my ability to hold them," the Elf Lord noted.  
"I don't," Zangulus said simply. "I'll be doing some sentimental travelling now, I'm sure one of them will know the sight I first joined my mistress." The presence of the mazoku vanished then.  
"He's got Tinuviel," Jolrael grabbed. "My sister was with her."  
"Let's get back," Xalan whispered. "Maybe your parents know what he was talking about." Jolrael nodded and walked out of their concealing shadow passing in front of two guards that didn't seem to notice him. "That is REALLY nerve-wracking." Xalan added as he melded into the cloud's shadow.  
"Why do I suddenly feel sorry for Zangulus?" Xina asked herself before joining her brother in the shadows.  
  
Zangulus appeared in the ruin of an old building out in the middle of a huge lake filled with rubble. He smirked as he thought how his prey would come running to him. He had felt them watching, but there was no way he was going to try and take the three of them with the possibility of an elven backstab to worry about.  
He opened a rickety door and felt a sudden wave of extreme cheerfulness. It almost dropped him to his stomach. Looking in on his two captives he was treated to the sight of the blue-haired elven girl playing pattycake with the little blonde human girl.  
"Oh hello," Tinuviel said as Zangulus entered. "Don't I know you?"  
"We met once before," Zangulus admitted, ignoring the cheerful girl. He strode to the circle of symbols he had drawn on the ground earlier. Funny he had thought that he had drawn them on the otherside of the building. "Your friends will be coming soon. When that happens I'll crush them totally and take the staff for my mistress. Enjoy these next few days girls, they'll be your last."  
"Does this mean there will only be nights from now on?" Kyrie asked blinking. Zangulus stared.  
"Oooo...How do you plan on blacking out the sun!?" The mazoku face-faulted.  
"Nevermind," he sighed and got ready to enact the spell to prepare the trap. He gathered his mazoku power and....suddenly felt as if he was being torn into millions of pieces. As the miscast spell subsided the mazoku gasped for breath and glanced at the circle of symbols in confusion.  
"Pink...flowers?"  
"I guess I didn't quite get it right then," Tinuviel suggested. "How about this one?" Zangulus glanced up and watched in horror as the blue-haired elf traced out the mana pattern of a Ra Tilt, and then added a twist. When the resulting flash cleared all three them lay in the crater staring up swirlly eyed at the sky.  
  
"What can you tell about her?" Lina asked Filia irritably.  
"She's becoming a mazoku again," Filia said simply. "There's not much human left of her actually."  
"Okay, so why is she dying then?" Lina asked shrugging. "Wait a minute, didn't Naga say she was eating to rival me?"  
"Yes, I do believe she said that," Filia admitted. Neither of them were too happy about helping a former enemy, but former enemies had become allies in the past.  
"I think I know the problem," Lina sighed and sat down on the ground outside the vacant inn. "She can't feed, so she's starving to death."  
"But why wouldn't she be able to feed?" Filia asked, confused. "She is filled with mazoku power already, shouldn't she have developed the empathy."  
"Hey, sword," Lina smacked Duofolger and growled.  
~What is it?~  
"Don't you usually have to destroy the mortal body to transform someone into a mazoku?"  
~Yes..but I don't see..oh...you're saying this is an unnatural transformation.~  
"Yeah, so why don't you finish her off, complete the transformation, and everything is back to normal."  
~Can't do it,~ the sword noted reluctantly. ~Such abilities were taken from me long ago, even if I were released from this form I wouldn't have the ability.~  
"Oh this is stupid," Lina growled. She walked over to the unconscious mazoku-human. "HEY WAKE UP!!" The girl didn't respond, Lina sighed and looked to Filia. "I have an idea, but..."  
"But what? Lina-san," Filia repeated.  
"Just how human is she?" Filia looked at her confused. "Is her blood still human?" Filia walked over and formed one of her fingers into a draconic claw. Slicing a straight line across the girl's flesh, releasing a thin stream of dark blood.  
"Mostly, it would seem," Filia said. "Why, what is your plan?" Lina sighed and took one of her own claws to slash open Sherra's arm, being careful to miss any major blood vessels. After that Lina slashed a cut down her own arm and then matched the two cuts.  
~What are you doing?~ Duofolger demanded. He could feel the bond to his mistress fading as her blood mixxed with Lina's. With the bond's fading the mazoku sword could feel himself being freed somewhat, but he wasn't certain if that was a good thing or not.  
"Saving her life," Lina growled. "We can't complete the transformation, so we have to reverse it somehow."  
"What do you mean reverse it Lina-san?" Filia asked, watching as Lina removed her arm and waited for it to heal. The dragon blinked as she looked at Sherra again and saw the traces of mazoku energy fade away. "She's..human? What did you do?"  
"It'll be fairly obvious come nightfall," Lina said quietly. She glanced at the sword. "It was all I could do, and she'll still need to get something to eat soon. Sorry." The werefox walked into the tavern to go speak to the other were-creatures that had arrived to help them.  
Duofolger felt himself freed as the power in Lina's blood completed its work. The blade's form shimmered and grew into a silver and white clad warrior. Filia blinked in surprise.  
"How did you...!?" Filia growled. She had thought the sword was boound in that form.  
"This means that Sherra will never be mazoku again," the former sword explained. He sighed and sat down next to her unconscious form. "I'm...free."  
"I...see," Filia narrowed her eyes. "Try to behave, we DO now how to handle mazoku after all." Filia followed Lina's path into the tavern and sighed at the sight of Naga and Lina working to eat all the food the villagers had left behind.  
"So what do I do now?" Duofolger asked the fainted Sherra.   
  
  
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	13. A Meeting of Forces

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
A Meeting of Forces  
  
  
  
"The caravan was...destroyed," Sylphiel repeated quietly. "All those people, and...Kyrie!!" The priestess turned to her husband and buried her head in his shoulders to cry.  
"I'm sure she's fine," Gourry said, looking somewhat doubtful himself, but not wanting to show it.  
"He said he had Tinuviel," Jolrael noted. "Maybe he took Kyrie hostage as well?" His voice had lost its normal bored tone and he sounded as desperate as the rest of his family.  
"Yes, he probably would do that," Gourry narrowed his eyes.  
"We're not going to get anywhere like this," Xina said. "Does anybody know what he was talking about?"  
"Martina and Zangulus were married in New Sairagg," Sylphiel said after a moment to take hold of herself and take the chance to find her daughter alive and well. "Past Kitsune Forest and...an ocean..." Sylphiel gestured towards where the elf army was camped.  
"I know where it is," Amethyst said. "It is quite far, but considering our resources it should be easy to reach." Everybody looked at Val, who sighed as he realized that he again was the chosen mode of transportation.  
"We can't fly past the army," Xalan reminded them. "They'll notice that."  
"It should be pretty easy to sneak past them again," Jolrael added. Everybody took a moment to look at Amethyst. "However..."  
"Why is everyone staring at me?" she asked.  
"Hey, I can get her..." Gourry started to offer his services.  
"No, Gourry-sama, Sylphiel-sama," Amethyst said, interuppting the older hero. "You're needed here, we can handle Zangulus....again."  
"She's right, we're the only ones who could fight any truly powerful fighters that might show up here," Sylphiel agreed, very reluctantly. "They'll have to go alone."  
"Which still leaves the problem of getting past the army without letting them know we're there," Xalan said.  
"Why is everybody looking at me again?" Amethyst glanced around blinking.  
"You're all forgetting something here," Xina said, smiling. Xalan nodded toward her and shrugged.  
"What's that?" Val asked nervous, Xina smirked. In the next moment they were all swallowed in a globe of darkness. Gourry, Sylphiel and the elves were then treated to the sight of the globe rocketting out towards Kitsune Forest.  
  
Sherra's eyes blinked open and she moved to sit up. Last thing she remembered they had just destroyed the elves that were daring to infringe on the home of her...most recent...beloved. Looking around she found that she was back in the abandoned village.  
"How are you feeling?" Duofolger asked. There was some odd quality about his voice, but she couldn't figure out what it was yet. As usual she didn't bother to turn to the direction of the sword's voice, knowing it only existed in her mind anyway.  
"Hungry," she said simply, she tried to stand up and found herself suddenly dizzy and faint. Before she could fall, Sherra found herself being lifted off the ground. She was prepared to haul off and hit the offender before she saw who it was. "But...he sealed you in the sword form."  
"The seal was broken," Duofolger said simply as she carried Sherra into the tavern. "Lina broke it when she saved your life." Sherra glanced at the collection of faces that stared at the two of them as Duofolger sat her at the table, and then sat down himself.  
"But the seal is my..." Sherra reached for that growing spark of mazoku power that she'd had even after absorbing that spell. She found nothing, no mazoku power, not even the mana for human magic. As Sherra tried to understand this, Duofolger reached with his own powers to grab a plate of food and whisk over to them.  
Sherra glanced at her arm and noticed the bandage for the first time, she hadn't remmebered being injured at all. Sherra unwrapped the bandage and revealed the slash underneath, it was healing quickly, but there was still some blood flow. Red, completely human blood. As the plate of food, mostly meat, landed in front of her, she paused before tearing into it.  
Duofolger watched the display in confusion. He had spent almost six hundred years bound to this girl, as he repeatedly reminded her. Dynast had punished him by sealing the bulk of his power away and given him to the new recruit. Now he couldn't feel a link to anything, he was a rogue mazoku. Maybe a few hundred years ago he would have been celebrating at this fact. Now, however, he had been dealing with this girl for so long he couldn't really figure out what he else he was supposed to do.  
Sherra finished her meal and then stood up, a little wearily. The blue-haired girl growled and walked toward Lina. The werefox sighed and paused in her own feast to face Sherra.  
"What did you do to me?"  
"I mixxed my blood into yours," Lina said simply.  
"Okay, so what?" Sherra snapped. "What does that mean?"  
"Sherra-san," Filia said slowly. "What is Lina?"  
"A werefox, so, I'm mazoku, I don't catch lycanthropy."  
"This little girl is a mazoku?" Naga blinked. "You must be joking, she is hardly an adult."  
"I am six hundred years old," Sherra growled at the aging sorceress. "What are you, forty? I am the general of Dynast Grausherra." She held herself proudly.  
"Listen you multi-centinnial brat," Lina growled. "You were human, your body was trying to make you mazoku without going through the proper methods. All that was going to happen was that you were going to starve to death and never complete the transformation. So I initiated a different transformation that only required you to be human." Sherra took a moment to consider this and then turned about to leave the tavern, growlling. Duofolger followed behind her quietly.  
  
Sherra paced about the clearing, trying to come to terms with her loss of power. She couldn't fly, she couldn't summon fire, couldn't teleport. She was weak, Lina Inverse had given her the final insult, and taken away her power.  
"I'm a werefox," Sherra sighed. "She made me a werefox." The former mazoku walked to the edge of a river and stared into a small pool that was forming along the edge of the bank. "I wonder what I'll look like." Her reflection was shattered as something flew past Sherra's face burning a line across her cheek.  
"AAHHHHH!!!" She lifted her hand to her face and rolled around to face her attacker.  
"Don't worry about it," somebody said. "You won't be a were much longer."  
"Where are you?" Sherra demanded, she felt slow and heavy, but she did manage to avoid the next thrown dagger. She stood up gripping a thick piece of wood looking for an assailant. A stream of arrows first took the makeshift weapon away, and then nailed her to the tree behind her. Sherra had a brief glimpse of a flash of oncoming silver when the double image of a teleport obsucred the view. Then she was across the clearing, again in Duofolger's human form arms.  
"My business isn't with you," the assailant's voice called out. A dark-haired human stepped out, flanked by three elves with bows. "I just want to get rid of the were."  
"I'm afraid not," Duofolger growled.   
The elves released a spray of arrows then, and looked on shocked as they grew heavy with ice and fell short of their mark. Kalus narrowed his eyes and released a wave of knives. They fared similarly, Duofolger smirked as they dropped to the ground, and the noticed the flask hidden in the wave of sharp weapons. It connected with a rock and shattered in a loud bright flash.  
Sherra and Duofolger were thrown backwards by the blast of seeking light. Sherra sat up almost immedatiely, but pain and a still strong hunger kept her down on the ground.  
"Alchemy," Duofolger coughed standing up. He tried to search his memory for any other tricks he hadn't used in six centuries. "Can't hack being a full mage?"  
"You're working for the elves, aren't you," Sherra demanded.  
"In a manner of speaking," Kalus smiled, producing another flask. "I hate weres, and you weres are in their way...its a mutual benefit." Duofolger braced himself to deal with the new flask as Kalus reared back his hand.  
"Its the knife psycho again!!" Kalus and the elves whirled as a sudden wind lifted the four of them off the ground. Duofolger lashed out as well, added the power of a winter storm to the magical wind. At some point, at least one of Kalus's flasks exploded in mid-air resulting in a brilliant flash of light.  
As the light cleared three bodies dropped to the ground, along with a scattering of silver knives and steel arrows. Xina shook the drifting snow out of her purple hair as she stepped forward and then noticed the other two people in the clearing.  
"You," Sherra jumped back a shimmer of light appearing at her side. She hesitated, however, remembering that the mazoku girl had saved Xalan in the tomb. She glanced at the bodies and shouted back. "The psycho got away somehow, and that mazoku girl is here." The remaining four slayers edged forward into view then.  
"She doesn't smell the same," Xalan noted, before fading out of view again as he left to hunt Kalus.  
"You're right," Xina blinked in confusion. "She smells like a werefox."  
"That's because I AM one," Sherra growled. "Your mother did it to me."  
"We don't have time for a reunion," Jolrael reminded them tightly. Xalan appeared again, fading in from the woods.  
"He's gone, the smell was scattered by the winds," he explained. "Let's get this over with I agree with Jol. Tinuviel is not someone to be left in Zangulus's hands."  
"That elf-girl has been kidnapped?" Sherra gasped. She remembered giving Tinuviel a brief interview, the girl had been likeable enough, which as a mazoku at the time had made her rather ill.  
"They are obviously allies," Amethyst said, then continued the voice that uncomfortably reminded Lina of the chimera's father. "Let's continue moving. We need to talk to Lina-sama and be gone. Or are we going to have to prod you all?" Xalan and Jol nodded in support of the statement. Duofolger took a brief mental accounting of their power relative to his and decided to agree as well, especially if they weren't a threat this time.  
  
"You're certain they're here?" Xina asked nervously. She could smell the traces herself well enough, but she wanted to hear it from someone else.  
"Yes I'm sure there here," Sherra snapped. Duofolger sighed and shook his head in exasperation, and then pondered the action, considering this was probably the first time he'd done it right around six hundred years.  
"Have you lost your sense of smell?" Xalan asked.  
"No...I just wasn't..." The red blur landing in the middle of their circle went unnoticed for only as long as it took her to open her mouth.  
"XINA METALLIUM!!!"  
"uh...oh..." Xina swallowed nervously and turned to face her mother's rather angry face. "Hi Mom, I'm...uh...back." Val standing next to her also turned around and met Lina's frosty glare.  
"Mom," Xalan nodded to his bother and swallowed nervously. "I tried to protect her."  
"She's fine, Lina-san...we..." Lina turned to glare at him fully. Val flinched back in time to feel some snag his ear.  
"Val, dear," he looked up to his mother. "We have to have a talk."  
"Lina-sama, we need to tell..." Amethyst tried to press the issue of Zangulus and the elves. She could appreciate Lina's need to speak to her children, but they had some one to rescue.  
"Not now Amethyst," Lina growled, quite literally growled. Amethyst narrowed her eyes and started to move. What she had been plannin on saying was interrupted.  
"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!!!" Jolrael's shout was punctuated by a wave of force out from him. Everybody had to dig themselves into the ground and hold against it. Amethyst reached out and struggled to release a simple weave of mana, distracted as he was Jolrael didn't feel the concentrated spell putting him to sleep.  
"Jolrael-san is under a lot of stress right now," Amethyst explained sheepishly.  
"That's a way to put it," Xina agreed.  
"Is there something going on that we don't know about," Lina asked, as the force of the young man's will subsided.  
"Jolrael-san's sister is missing," Amethyst explained. "We are hoping that she's being held hostage..."  
"You're HOPING that she's being held hostage?" Lina blinked.  
"The alternative is....not good," Amethyst said as everyone else nodded in agreement. Well Val tried to nod in agreement, but it was hard with his mother still gripping his ear. Lina turned to face her daughter and son past Amethyst and growled wordlessly for several seconds before swallowing and releasing a long breath.  
"We're STILL going to talk," Lina growled. "Spill the news and we'll see what to do about it..."   
  
"So, what you're telling me," Lina said blinking at her children. "Is that there is a true Elf Lord working with Zangulus, who's now a mazoku, and they have a huge army about to just walk through me. Not too mention the were-hunter that's now loose in MY forest."  
"Sylphiel-sama and Gourry-sama have a decent sized force of wood elves waiting for a chance to ambush the high elves," Amethyst added helpfully.  
"Yeah, that's the only good news you've given me," Lina admitted. "Okay, you kids...need..." she growled as she fought her parental instincts to continue the rest of the sentence. "To go after that Zangulus creep. We're going to prepare to defend or retreat to Sailloon."  
"Hai, Mom!" Xina called out standing up and turning to leave.  
"Take Sherra with you."  
"What?!?" several voices demanded.  
"I can't take care of her right now, and she's too new a were to take care of herself well," Lina explained. "And between the lot of you, you can handle her fourth aspect, even if this DOES take the three weeks for the full moon to rise."  
"What if I don't want to go?" Sherra asked. Lina turned to glare at her and Duofolger.  
  
Sherra found herself flying through the air, in Duofolger's arms and watching Val carry the slayers beside her. She tried to figure out just when she and Duofolger had given in, but couldn't quite figure it out.  
"How did she do that?" Sherra wondered. She turned her attention to Xalan speaking to the chimera princess and daydreamed for a moment in an effort to get over the events of the day.   
  
  
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	14. Dreams

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Dreams  
  
  
  
Xina cracked open her eyes and glanced around. Everywhere she looked was   
gray and featureless. She was alone, totally and completely alone...or was   
she.  
"Dad, is this you again?" Xina demanded irritably. She glanced to her   
left as a pair of the figures formed out of the gray. She immediately   
recognized Xellos and Amethyst's mother. Her father was perched up on a tree   
and Amelia was sitting on a rock underneath him. She gripped the staff in   
her hand, not bothering to wonder where it had come from. She slept holding   
it usually, as a result calling it to being in this dream was child's play.   
"What's with the dream thing again?"  
"This isn't my doing, Xina-chan," her father said, shrugging as his image   
solidified.  
"Huh?" Xina blinked. "Is it...that other guy?"  
"We really don't know," Amelia said. "But I would expect so."  
"Are you two always together?" she asked, suddenly suspicious.  
"There aren't that many people to talk to out here," Xellos explained.  
"Even fewer that we knew alive," Amelia added. "Why?"  
"Because....well," Xina tried to find a way to say that they should be   
with their spouses that didn't sound silly. After all they were dead, and   
Xina's mother and Zelgadis were alive. Marriage was until death do you part   
after all. "Ummm..."  
Suddenly there was movement out of the corner of Xina's eyes. She   
glanced over and saw a circle of revealling light and cool shade appear in   
the gray, across from a gate to that wasted realm Roquen had been pulled   
into. Turning her attention fully towards the new vision see saw...herself.  
"What?" Xina ran towards the image, confused. As she got closer she saw   
something, actually several somethings, moving beyond the corrupted darkness   
and light. They were coming closer and closer and then a mix of shade and   
illumination poured from the other gate, through the other her and into the   
corrupted realm.  
Then in a flash there was nothing but gray again.  
"What was that?" Xina asked, turning around to her ghostly companions.   
From all appearances she hadn't moved, the tree, rock, Amelia and Xellos were   
no farther from her than before.  
"The Source and the Waste," Amelia said.  
"The Waste, in the words of our heavenly some-time companion," her father   
smirked. "Is a mistake born of the ego of certain powers, The Source is   
where all life comes from and goes too."  
"Okay, so why was I there?" Xina demanded.  
"That..." Xellos started.  
"...Is a secret." Xina arched and eyebrow as she finished his comment.   
"Meaning you don't know."  
"Well, you certainly picked up on that," Xellos smirked. Then the   
surrounding gray vanished. Xina shot upright as her dream ended and the   
sound of Sherra's first transformation pierced the growing darkness.  
"What's wrong!!" Amethyst gasped turning to see the twisting Sherra. The   
chimera approached the pained girl carefully. Duofolger was holding on to   
the Sherra and glancing about in confusion as his long time partner sprouted   
silver fur and dug furrows into his mazoku flesh.  
"She's fighting it, and she doesn't know how," Xalan said in explanation,   
shrugging. "Mom's had a few accidents in the past, we've seen it before."  
"Is there anything we can do," Amethyst asked desperately. "It sounds   
like it hurts a great deal."  
"It does," Duofolger nodded. Then the transformation ceased and Sherra   
started breathing heavily, as if exhausted. "Are you feeling alright?"  
"I'm fine!" Sherra snapped irritably. "Why are you still here, aren't   
you free now?"  
"I can't think of anywhere else to go," the former sword shrugged, he   
slowly released the blue-silver furred fox-girl he immediately took to pacing.  
~So much for getting a little nap,~ Xina thought. ~Strange dreams,   
talking to Dad and Amelia, and now Sherra making all that noise.~  
"What do I do now?" Sherra whined, not caring if everybody heard her or   
not.  
"Go hunting," Xina suggested. She started to stand up when the space   
around her faded out momentarily. She was in the gray again, and there was   
something hunting her. After a moment she realized that it was herding her   
somewhere. No wait, it was herding her AWAY from somewhere.  
"Xina-san is right, you still seem a little...thin," Amethyst said   
diplomatically as Xina came to the real world again. Val was looking at her   
concerned, he must have noticed her blanking out for a moment there.  
"There's point when trying to keep your figure shouldn't be a concern,"   
Xalan added. Sherra's eyes bulged and she launched herself at Xalan. The   
kage-kitsune wasn't there by the time she finished the lunge.  
Xina was up and a force bubble was around Sherra before anybody could   
move.  
"Don't try to hurt my brother girl," Xina growled, narrowing her eyes.   
Xina noted Duofolger starting toward her and being halted by the appearance   
of Xalan with his light claws blazing inches from the mazoku's form. Val had   
also moved to Xina's back and seemed to be preparing an attack against the   
released mazoku.  
"ALL OF YOU STOP THIS!!" Everybody stared at Amethyst in outright   
surprise. "Xalan Metallium! You apologize this INSTANT to her!" Xalan   
opened his mouth and suddenly the chimera blazed across the campsite and was   
glaring up into his face.  
"I know she tried to kill Xina, but that was nearly a year ago," Amethyst   
continued in a very displeased tone, though her voice hadn't gone above a   
normal volume since the first shout. "Since then she has nearly gotten   
killed saving YOUR life and then had her own life quite neatly turned upside   
down. You owe her an apology." Xalan opened his mouth again and Amethyst   
rose to the tips of her toes and narrowed her eyes at him.  
"You're right," he admitted finally. He released the claws of light and   
stepped away from threatening Duofolger, who was staring in confusion at the   
chimera. "Sorry, Sherra." Amethyst settled back on her feet and gave a   
satisfied smile.  
"Does that settle everything?" the chimera asked everybody. Xina   
shrugged and her force bubble dissipated dropping Sherra to the ground.  
~He's a JERK!~ Sherra told herself suddenly, wondering when they were   
going to let the light back into the area. ~Don't jump to conclusions yet,   
this is just one incident, and you DID try to kill his sister.~  
"Sherra are you okay?" Duofolger asked. Sherra didn't bother to turn to   
face him, again, force of habit and she couldn't see him anyway.  
"Once they get rid of the darkness spell," Sherra growled, her tail   
swished behind her angrily as she looked around and waited. Everybody looked   
at her confused for a moment, then the slayers stared at Jolrael.  
"Jolrael-san," Amethyst started.  
"Alright, alright," the swordsman shrugged. Suddenly Sherra could see   
again.  
"Much better," she said arrogantly, then her stomach growled across the   
camp site. "What was that about hunting?" Another growling stomach was   
heard and everybody looked to Xina.  
"I'll go with you," Xina said reluctantly. Xalan and Val exchanged a   
glance at that remark. "I need the practice anyway." Xina turned to her   
brother and the dragon and fixed them with a look that dared them to suggest   
she couldn't handle herself.  
"That sounds like a good idea," Amethyst said. "Try to be nice to each   
other." The two fox-girls, one thoroughly furrier than the other, looked at   
the chimera princess as if she were crazy, then went into the forest to look   
for food.  
"Are there bears around here?" Sherra asked.  
  
Far to the north a being locked in place looked over his new minions.   
They weren't exceptionally powerful, but they would be able to discover what   
had happened to his general. He shifted in his prison and tried again to   
break free, without any success. The Water Dragon King had cast the   
enchantment too well.  
Angered the dark lord cast out his mind and found the Elf Lord and his   
army. There was a power strong enough to destroy a general. The house of   
Feanor spreading its doomed fate throughout the known multiverse, springing   
up like a weed. Even here, in his homeworld. Well that would be stopped.   
The same way they had brought low the dwarves that had tried to settle in   
L-sama's world. The dark lord of the cold north turned to his assorted   
demons and lesser mazoku.  
"Go and punish these mortals," Dynast shouted. "The elves, Sailloon, ALL   
of them...GO!! And leave the winter in your wake as you go!!"  
  
  
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	15. Morning

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Morning  
  
  
  
Zangulus smirked to himself as he began to arrive at the sight he had left his captives. This time he wouldn't have to worry about them roaming around and wreaking havoc with his little ambush sight.  
"There is no way they could have..." Zangulus stared in disbelief at Tinuviel jotting something down in her notebook and readjusting her spectacles as she scanned the walls, oblivious to the mazoku's reappearance. Kyrie, on the other hand saw him immediately.  
"HI!!! Look what I made!!" The little girl pointed at the cutesy kid drawings all over the walls. Zangulus didn't even bother to ask where she had gotten the paints, he had other things on his mind.  
"How did you get loose!!" Zangulus shouted.  
"Kyrie-chan untied me," Tinuviel supplied helpfully as she continued looking over the ruined building she was "imprisoned" in.  
"How'd she get loose?!!" Zangulus demanded. He turned to face the little blonde girl.  
"Jol-niisan asks me that all the time," she said thoughtfuly, before going back to her painting.  
Zangulus vacated the room, sick to the stomach from all the good feelings in the room.  
"They had better get here quickly," he grumbled. "I'm running out of patience."  
  
Amethyst took a moment to try and figure out the point of this stop. Obstensibly they had all been tired and thought to stop and get some sleep so they would be of some use later when they reached Sairagg. Especially Val, who'd have to fly them over the ocean. Of course there was also the problem of Sherra's transformation, which, admittedly, Amethyst hadn't thought of.  
Now, that she was sitting here watching the guys glare at each other she wondered if they might as well just get moving. Of course, now they had to wait for Sherra and Xina to return from hunting. So Amethyst contented herself with watching the guys and wondering what to do about them.  
Jol merely sulked, and Amethyst couldn't blame him, this was becoming an uneccesary delay. His sister and Tinuviel were being held prisoner by a murdering demon that had several times come close to killing one or another of them all, mostly Xina. The fact that apparently Zangulus was an old rival of Jolrael-san's father made the conflict even older. The young swordsman hefted his sheathed sword and glared silently.  
Amethyst was moderately worried about sharing a campsite with a mazoku, even one that was apparently limited in power. Then again, Xina-san and Xalan-san were half-mazoku, so she assumed that meant not all mazoku were instantly bad. Besides, Duofolger tended to look more confused than anything, except about watching out for Sherra. Amethyst sighed at that, it was SO sweet, of course Sherra didn't seem to notice at all. The former sword seemed to be splitting his attention between Val, Xalan and the woods.  
Xalan appeared to be relaxed, sitting there and carving a new quarterstaff for use against foes a light weapon would be overkill for. Amethyst smirked, nobody else had probably noticed that he would occaisionally glance off at the woods. The only thing keeping him in place was probably the desire to keep an eye on Duofolger, and maybe Val. Amethyst wasn't certain. It was killing him to not go out and watch his sister. Amethyst smiled at him quietly, and giggled as he embarrasedly turned away from her.  
Val meanwhile was probably more obvious than anybody. He kept looking at Duofolger and scratching his head, as if trying to figure something out. Amethyst had overheard tell Xina that the mazoku seemed familiar somehow. Mostly, however, he kept an eye on the woods, even more than Duofolger. Amethyst supposed it was because he didn't have as many former enemies around as Doufolger. He was also fidgeting more than anybody else. Amethyst shook her head amused and turned toward the east.  
"Hmm, its going to be a beautiful sunrise," she said, then scrunched her eyes in confusion.  
"Its dawn already?" Xalan asked. Now everybody looked into the woods where Sherra and Xina were hunting.  
  
"This is all your fault," Sherra growled. Her focus his directed to where she was clawing through the damnable threads that had the two of them tangled up.  
"Who started the fight?" Xina snapped. She was glaring at the ground, and the mass of splattered giant spiders below her. She would have been trying to use her force spears to slice through the web, but the damn things had an uncomfortable habit of ricochetting.  
"I remember somebody leading me around to a skunk," Sherra reminded her.  
"Oh, shut up and just finish cutting this damn thing," Xina insisted from her inverted position.  
"I'm almost finish..." Sherra's eyes went wide and she started picking up the pace of trying to cut the strand she was working on.   
Xina was curious until the first restrained sounds of pain coming from the werefox above her. She had seen heard other transformations, and caught the tail end of Sherra's first transformation last night. This was the first time she had seen one up close, other than her mother's. Lina had long ago gotten past any pain in the transformation.  
Xina hadn't expected the spasms as Sherra's fur and foxy features retreated into a normal, if blue-haired, form. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl as her attempts to cut the web degenerated into spasms and she screamed outloud into the growing day. The kage-kitsune was confused as well, her mother had said that becoming human usually didn't involve any pain. The spasms and screaming didn't stop until a completely human Sherra suddenly slumped, as if she had been a puppet with her strings cut.  
"Sherra?" the blue-haired girl didn't answer, merely tried to catch her breath. "Hey, you awake?"  
"Yes, I'm awake you damn brat!" Sherra snapped. "I've faced worse pain than that! Try being a mazoku for six hundred years you'll experience all kinds of pain." Of course, she wasn't mazoku now, and not long a werefox, and pain was different when it didn't feed you a little as well. And the human instincts of her body screamed that the change was wrong, and they hadn't adjusted yet. Nor had she was she even close to learning how to control the change yet, after all it was only her first night.  
"Whatever you say," Xina would have shrugged, if she could have. The kage-kitsune didn't buy her explanation. "There's something I haven't tried yet."  
"What's that?" Sherra demanded after a long, irritated pause.  
"This could hurt," she warned.  
"What are you going to..." Sherra glanced up as region of darkness spread out above them. She glared back down at Xina. "What's that supposed to..." Then the two of them were falling to the ground and landing with a thump. Sherra growled and tried to stand up out of the mess of spider guts and webs.  
"AAAHH! YOU'RE PULLING MY TAIL!!"  
"GOOD!!!"  
"When I get out of this I'm going pull your hair out by the roots," Xina promised levelly. "AHH!!"  
"Oh, I'm sorry, did that pull your tail again?"  
"Grrr.."  
"Oh...dear..."  
Both girls tried to turn toward the familiar voice. Amethyst was staring at them mildly shocked.  
"Do we want to know how this happened?" Xalan asked the almost terminally embarrassed mazoku next to him. The kage-kitsune's nose scrunched as the wind shifted. "Gah...who pissed off the skunk."  
"I think its both of them," Val said, looking a little green.  
"Let's just get them loose and get going," Jol insisted.  
"We could just roll them into a package and carry them along," Xalan suggested calmly. Xina and Sherra exchanged glances.  
"He pays for that."  
"Agreed."   
  
  
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	16. How to Convince Luna to join your Fight....

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
How to Convince Luna to join your Fight...not a recommended procedure  
  
  
  
A wave of cold weather flowed down south from the artic wastelands of Dynast's realm. At the head of the fast moving storm a mass of minor mazoku flow over the grounds below. The demonic army moved with directness of purpose as they moved towards their assigned target.  
As ordered, the storm in their wake brought on early winter to every realm they passed over. Even the wine fields of Zephilia. The demons moved cautiously through the highly volatile realm, above the magical senses of almost every sorcerer in the world. They kept their auras dampened and moved slowly so as not to attract attention.  
As a result a far larger amount of snow full on Zephillia than on most other countries. This wasn't much of a concern to them, however, Zephillia had an obscene number of sorcerers within its border, magic was as commonplace there as water was in the ocean, but they were rather impulsive and didn't usually chase anything for very long. The only Zephillian known that would pursue someone that had annoyed her until the insult was repaid was the late Lina Inverse.   
At least so they thought.   
A purple-haired woman in a waitress outfit stood and stared irritably at a mound of snow that should have been a tavern. Her head was lowered and the bangs shaded her hair into invisiblity, anybody who knew her could have told you that this was a bad sign.  
Luna looked up and the trail of mazoku energies that was quickly fading away. She ca sually turned to face the mound of snow, which was suddenly shrinking very rapidly. A cloud of steam-billowed out and away from the structure obscuring everybody nearby. The eldest Inverse narrowed her eyes angrily as she was enveloped in the steam cloud.  
As the cloud dissipated into the sky the severely nervous inhabitants of Luna's village were treated to the sight of the Knight of Ceipheed soaked to the skin and standing in front of a completely caved in tavern. Nobody DARED to comment on it, at least not to her face.   
"This is going to take some time to repair," Luna said coldly. "Isn't it?"   
"Errr....yes," her "boss" agreed with her. The man was prepared to bolt at the slightest hint of the sorceress's anger being unleashed in his direction.   
"Do you mind if I take a few days off?"   
"Go right ahead," he swallowed nervously. "Don't let me stop you."   
"I shall be back shortly," Luna promised him. "I need to pick a few things up, excuse me." Luna turned and started walking down the street to her own home, which at the moment looked like a spherical ball of snow. A brief gesture and the defense spell around her house exploded outward, and uncovered her cottage.   
"I've never missed work until now," she grumbled as she entered the dimensionally enhanced building.   
Further south, Lord Fimore got tired of waiting for the human to return with news of his southern foes defeat. The elf lord had been about to move the whole bulk of his forces down through the forest when his scouts brought back reports of something more interesting.   
Sailloon's army had left the safety of its border fortresses and moved into neutral ground as well. The elf lord smiled as he gave the order to move out. They would meet in the woods, and that was to the advantage of the elves, as it should be.   
His scouts failed to notice the various forces trailing around behind his army. True to the history of his bloodline he could only focus on what was in front of him, with no thought that anything could possibly threaten him. None of his scouts played witness to the scenes behind him.   
"So this is the great army those children claimed would prove to be your allies," Naga sneered as she looked on the elves before her and Filia. "You're nothing but a rag tag collection of rabble. You expect the White Serpent to travel with you? OH-HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" Everybody cringed before the hideousness of her laughter. More than a few elves reacted with shock and wariness as several foxes around them grew and took human form.   
"Well I'm planning on travelling with them," Lina snapped. "So if you want to stay around me you'll have to also." ~Please decide to leave...please, please PLEASE!!!~   
"Hey, Lina," Gourry waved, a little subdued as he stood next Sylphiel.   
"I heard about your daughter," Lina said quietly. "I know how you feel."   
"Thank you Lina-san," Sylphiel answered just as quietly. "You plan to leave your forest?"   
"None of us are safe with a Feanor ruling the elves," Filia sniffed.   
"Lina?" an elf repeated. "Lina, as in Lina Inverse....but she's dead!"   
"Do I look dead?" Lina asked the elf. The elf swallowed nervously and kept his mouth shut. "Listen there's some psychotic running around with potions and silver knives, we've met him twice since the twins and everybody left for Sairag. He hasn't managed to kill anybody yet since we've been staying together, but he's getting really annoying."   
"Hey I met someone like that a few weeks ago!" Gourry shouted. "I thought I got him lost."   
"He was with some elves apparently," Lina said. "That's the only fly in the ointment though, so let's stop gabbing about and head after that army! I DON'T want them coming back to MY forest."   
"Excuse me, Sylphiel-sama," one of the elves stepped forward looking over the werefoxes nervously. Most of them looked fully human, aside from Lina herself who seemed to be insisting on remaining in that half form. "Should we be travelling with these, monsters. And what can those two women do to help us?"   
"Do you know the name Filia Ul Copt," the blonde, human form dragon asked politely. Several of the elves just stared, even for them, this was like something out of the storybooks. "And Naga is a sorceress of....some talent." "We haven't figured out quite what that talent is yet," Lina added. "But its there."   
"Why, Lina, you aren't jealous of me are you?" the graying woman asked in a high-pitched voice. "Really this can't be much different from when you were tagging along with me on all those adventures. OH-HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!" A number of people turned to look at Lina.   
"LONG story," Lina grumbled. "Long, long, terrible story."   
"Poor Lina-chan, she just can't take the stress," Naga sighed. "OH-HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"   
"Its apparently not over yet," finished a shivering Lina.   
  
"Aren't you getting tired?" Xina asked from her perch at Val's head. The dragon's eye rolled back to stare at her for a moment before facing forward again.   
"No, I'm fine," Val insisted. "Besides I'm not letting that mazoku out last me." Xina turned to look where Sherra and Duofolger were flying alongside them.   
"Well, I could.."   
"You tried that," Val noted. "You held the dimensional space for about an hour and then slept for the next half-day. I'm fine, its mostly just gliding for now anyway."   
"Oh yeah," she shivered. That had been twelve hours of disjointed conversation with her father and Amelia, and those damn "dreams" kept happening to interrupt. Nothing so clear as the first "dream" though.   
A storm over a golden ocean, the strikes of lightning illuminated a cloud of what she thought were birds. Strangely enough the birds seemed to be howling like wolves. There was sense of something hunting her again, the lightning kept striking near her. The Waste again and huge ugly things reaching out to grab her. The Source calling for her.   
Finally, she didn't seem to be herself, she couldn't look down to see a body. There was just a silvery light and a few shadows. At times, she could see another sparkle in the storm and birds, and she thought it was supposed to be her brother. If it was him, he was hunting too, she recognized the attitude of the motion. It was confusing, but she got the gist of it.   
Something huge was going on, and they were caught in it.   
"Are you okay?" Xina blinked and looked down at the dragon below her.   
"I'm fine," Xina insisted. "All I have to do is sit here after all."   
"You've been sort of blanking out at times."   
"I've noticed that too, Xina-san," Amethyst said.   
"I'm fine," Xina snapped. She turned to glare at the slayers behind her on Val's back, and caught her brother staring at her. He didn't say anything, but she could tell that he was on the verge of telling her to hold back from the upcoming battle. "I just can't wait to finally give Zangulus what he deserves." Xina leaned forward onto Val's head, settling in comfortably between his eyes.   
There was one more part of the dream that she didn't want to think about. An image of Val getting smaller and smaller, as if she was rocketing into the sky away from him. Beyond everything else, that scared her the most.   
  
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	17. Sairagg

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Sairagg  
  
  
  
Xina looked up at the slowly growing moon and felt heartened for some   
reason. Dark or light, she could always find the moon, come to think of it,   
so could Xalan. Even when the moon was new they could see where it was, or   
rather see where it certain stars that should have been there. She had never   
thought it was difficult to do, or that her constant awareness of the moon   
was anything unusual until recently.  
"I suppose I'm just trying to get my mind off those dreams," she thought   
to herself.  
~You should work on your power,~ the voice came to her through the staff.   
~There's not much time.~  
"Hi, Dad," Xina whispered. "Deciding to talk to me when I'm awake?"  
~Xina-chan, this isn't as easy as it seems,~ her father's voice chided.   
~We both know something major is coming, and you'll need every trick you can   
think of.~  
"What about Xalan?" Xina asked. "Or the rest of us. Though getting   
Xalan to try and learn anything is like telling Mom she's wrong about   
something."  
~Yes, you both seem to have inherited a little of that stubborn streak,~   
Xellos commented. ~But you need to be stronger to survive."  
"So what do you suggest?" Xina asked, she waited a moment. "Dad? Oh   
great, he's gone again."  
"Who's gone?" Xina turned to see her brother stepping out of the shadows.   
She couldn't tell if he had been walking in the shadows or if he was just   
that good at walking unseen.  
"Our father," she said without a beat. "He wants us to train, get   
stronger."  
"One of these times, I hope to speak to him," Xalan said, moderately   
suspicious.  
~I think that's going to happen soon actually,~ Xina thought to herself.   
She glanced at him nervously. ~I hope not.~  
"What does he look like?" Xalan asked, still a little suspicious of these   
spirits Xina had a habit of talking to.  
"Well he's sort of..." she paused, and then decided to try something new.   
Xalan blinked as the shadows and moonlight before him coalesced into a   
cloaked humanoid form of silver and darkness. "I can't put color in it, but   
its like that. Amethyst can do a better image."  
"I've seen it," Xalan said simply as the silver-shadow moved about at   
Xina's mental directions. His purple haired sister shot him a look as she   
dissipated the shadow. "I was just curious as to what you've seen."  
"It IS our father I talk to," Xina insisted. "And why don't you ever try   
to do anything like that?"  
"I don't really need to," Xalan shrugged.  
"Oh yeah, Zangulus almost beat you when he was human, right?" she asked.   
"An older human even. Sounds like you could use some practice too."  
"And what could you do with that illusion?" Xalan asked. Xina smirked   
and another silver-shadow formed, wielding a sword of darkness and silver.   
The near-featureless figure sliced through a small tree which toppled to the   
ground as the shadow dissipated again.  
"Is that enough?" she asked cheerfully. "And I know you can do this   
one." Xalan watched as a circular region of shadow appeared around a branch,   
as he watched he felt the familiar action of a the shadow opening to admit   
something inside. The branch toppled to the ground, sliced cleanly off,   
seperated by the dimensional pocket. "I couldn't complete with Luna-obasan,   
or...Zelgadis, but I think I could handle myself with someone like Amethyst   
or Jol, maybe."  
"The maybe is the problem," Xalan pointed out, he refused to admit that   
he was thinking of trying some of those tricks himself. Xina had just fairly   
well proved she might be able to protect herself better than he could. "And   
you still can't fight well."  
"Is Val awake yet?" Xina asked, ignoring her brother's commentary. "Are   
we going?"  
"You know Zangulus wants that staff," Xalan said.  
"Yeah, and he'll get it upside his head if I have anything to say about   
it," Xina snapped. "You can't make me stay behind, don't even try."  
"You've been jumpy the last three days," Xalan noted. "Every since we   
started hunting down Zangulus. What's wrong?" Xina stared at him for moment   
before breaking into a smile and leaning forward.  
"Now why would you think something's wrong," she asked him. "I'm just a   
little nervous, that's all."  
"Then you can stay..."  
"Nope," she wagged her finger at him. "I have to be there, you have to   
be there." ~Or maybe we're just going to end up there whether we want it or   
not.~  
"And why is that?" Xalan asked levely, his eyes narrowed.  
"That...is a secret," Xina said before leaping back into one of her own   
shadows, which Xalan saw shift back towards the camp. He followed her,   
stepping from shadow to shadow, leaving almost no traces.  
Arriving at the camp he found her sitting next to the sleeping dragon.   
She seemed a little wistful and protective herself now, as if she thought   
something was going to attack them right then. He scowled at her, and Xina   
produced her normal mature response and stuck out her tongue in response.  
"Oh what are you two fighting about now?" Amethyst asked. Sherra rolled   
her eyes and wondered why she had fallen for the jerk in the first place.  
"Probably the normal," Jolrael said, shrugging. "He wants her to stay   
behind, and she wants to go."  
"How much further is it to Sairag?" Sherra asked, seemingly bored. Her   
tail was twitching nervously behind her, however. Duofolger sat behind her,   
very close, but she didn't notice. As far as she was concerned, it was   
normal for the former sword to sit so close to her. The mazoku could feel   
her anger and hopelessness as she began to think that she had stepped in   
front of that spell for nothing.  
~Maybe you won't make the same mistake again.~ He thought to himself.  
"Not much further, we just need to wait for Val to recover from the ocean   
trip," Amethyst said cheerily, with a brief glance in Xalan's direction. She   
was going to have to talk to Xalan again. Xina could take care of herself   
for the most part now, but he seemed to be refusing to see that.  
~Then everything is going to start.~ Xina thought to herself.  
  
Before the sun rose to its xenith the next day the seven of them stood at   
the edge of the huge lake that was left behind by the Giga slave.  
"There's NOTHING out there!" Xina gasped as they approached. The   
kage-kitsune shivered as she looked out over the vast, dead lake. The   
complete lack of life even surpassed the sensation of gray nothingness of   
that spirit world her father and Amelia were in. That place wasn't like her   
home, but it had a nature of its own, and everything belonged.  
"Nothing alive, just minerals," Xalan added, shifting the grip on his   
staff, and making sure the claws of light were tight on his hand.  
"I never felt sick here before," Sherra muttered backing up into   
Duofolger and instinctively flexing her hand for a sword that wasn't there.   
Xina looked to the former mazoku a moment and grabbed the sword she had   
carried almost without use the entire time. The kage-kitsune tossed it to   
her.  
"You might as well have some way to be useful," she muttered as Sherra   
looked at her surprised. "Its not magical though, so don't think it'll be of   
much use."  
"I can keep an eye on her," Duofolger said. "I have a few hundred years   
experience at baby sitting."  
"There is something out there," Jolrael turned toward them, frowning, but   
a little relieved. "Tinu and my sister, on that little island over there.   
Your sense of smell isn't too reliable if the air isn't moving."  
"Where's Zangu..." The blast came down in the middle of them, knocking   
scattering them all. The slayers took there feet and stared at the   
dark-haired being the center of them all.  
"I'm right here," Zangulus smirked. "And you're welcome to the brats if   
you can get past me first." The slayers stared, blinking for about two   
seconds before everybody but Duofolger, Xalan and Jolrael burst into   
laughter, pointing at their enemy. Zangulus fumed. "YES!! THOSE ARE DAISIES   
PAINTED ALL OVER ME!!! DIE!!!"   
Zangulus charged forward, a blade of darkness seemingly just appearing in   
his hand. The slayers came back to their senses and prepared for battle.   
  
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	18. The Risks of Being a Spectator

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
The Risks of Being a Spectator  
  
  
  
Sherra leaped away from the area of the charge, irritably aware that she really couldn't do anything to help. Considering her most recent change in species, and she idly began to wonder just how many she would undergo before she died, it would have been better if they had waited for nightfall. At any rate, Sherra watched the fledgling mazoku and remembered the last time they had crossed swords.  
"What an idiot," she muttered as she sat down to watch the battle. He might have been able to take them on one at a time, but all together. "Idiot." Amethyst paused in joining the battle to turn towards Sherra for a moment.  
"Sherra-san, are you going to help?" The chimera asked for a moment.  
"How? I can't change on purpose you know, what do I do, hope for an eclipse?" Sherra paused a moment and then formed a megaphone from her hands. "Umm...DUOFOLGER sic him!!"  
"I plan too," Duofolger said in his normal long-suffering tone. Sherra wondered why the sword, err ex-sword, was still treating her like "an eternal teenager that he was saddled with until the end of time" to quote an early comment from him.  
"How's that?" the former mazoku asked the chimera princess, ignoring the question of why Duofolger hadn't attacked her yet.  
"Thank you, I think..." Amethyst turned and launched an array of flare arrows at the mazoku swordsman. Sherra watched as the mazoku's imitation Ragna blade slashed out and connected with one of Xina's force shields. The former bounty hunter ducked low and let the flare arrows pass over him into Xina's shield.  
"If that was Inverse's Ragna Blade the brat would be dead now," Sherra yawned.  
Zangulus had to dodge as Jolrael and Xalan came in wielding their weapons. The mazoku reacted and tried to slash through Xalan. Sherra almost called out and then blinked as the kage-kitsune pulled one of his sisters tricks, falling back into a created shadow and slipping to a new place.  
"When did he start doing that?" Sherra scratched her head in confusion as the fight continued. "You know he wasn't this strong last time, dangerous yeah, but I would have thought this would be over by now. Oh, that's right, he was still human last time I saw him." Sherra stopped and considered this. "Uh...oh..."  
Zangulus frowned as Xalan came in low with his claws, and Jolrael slashed high with his sword. The hunter blinked out as he teleported a few feet past his attacker's range. He appeared right into a blast of dragon breath as Val found a clear shot.  
The dragon looked mostly human, though black wings had ripped out of his back. He felt tempted to take full dragon form, but then he couldn't fight effectively with everybody else in his way.  
Zangulus flew backward, black mazoku-essence leaking out of his form for a brief moment before he healed. The mercenary was recovering his feet when the ground exploded underneath him along with Amethyst's cry of "DUG HAUT!" One of the spikes tore into the mazoku, lifting him away from the ground.  
Zangulus gritted his teeth in pain as he pulled himself off the earth spike and the cut healed itself.  
"That spell's not enough to do more than give me p..." Zangulus cut his brag short as the other mazoku on the field slammed into him. The former human teleported out before the unnatural chill radiating from Duofolger could do him any real harm.  
Zangulus was trying to catch his breath as a virtual volley of mystical attacks launched towards him from six directions. Spikes of moonlight, telekinetic punches, balls of flame, the essence of a demon winter, and a beam of pure spiritual energy cascaded towards his direction.  
"He HAS been watching his sister," Sherra whistled as the mazoku "eeped" and teleported away from his former location. Sherra smirked. "The idiot can't win if he can't get a shot off. Imagine a mazoku saying 'eep'." Sherra felt duly insulted.  
Zangulus appeared again and swung his blade of darkness. A wave of black energy rippled its way towards six warriors. Jol levitated above the attack, while Xalan tackled Amethyst and took her into a shadow pocket. Duofolger vanished, as any intelligent mazoku would. Xina, meanwhile leaned forward and formed a wall of light the wave of energy collided with and washed over.  
"NICE TRY!!" Xina shouted, just before the cracks started appearing in her wall. "Awww....he's STILL beating me!!" Xina squinted as her force wall caved in and then there was this odd sensation of being in two places at once.  
"Next time run....please," Val pleaded as he set her down. Xina looked to where the dragon had teleported her away from "I don't want your brother and mother to kill me." Xina blinked for a moment and then glomped Val.  
"VAL-KUN!!! You saved me!!"  
"Urk."  
"Get back in the fight!" Jol shouted as his levitation became something more like flight. The youngswordsman landed in front of the mazoku and he started attacking.   
Zangulus smirked as he started in to fight the boy. That didn't last long. Zangulus knew the secret of Xalan's phenomenal fighting skill, and could easily throw the kage-kitsune off his top performance. Jolrael had trully learned his skill though, and tended to add in a few surprises that kept the mazoku watching with his higher senses as well as the normal five.  
When Xalan joined the fight, the trading of blows became mostly Zangulus blocking. Everybody else grumbled as they waited for a clear shot at the mazoku or some other chance to help without hindering. Then Zangulus vanished and didn't reappear.  
Sherra snapped to her feet, there were no enemies for him to fight on the astral. That meant...  
"Where'd he go?" Xina asked confused, not noticing Sherra charging at her.  
"Tinu and Kyrie!!" Jol gasped, and suddenly most of them turned to head out over the lake, following Jol.  
~LOOK OUT!!~ Xina paused and looked at the staff, before glancing around. Something small slammed her aside as the air rippled and a mazoku attacked out of the astral plane. Xina landed hard on the ground, the breath knocked out of her and the staff skittering out of her grasp. Behind the Metallium, Sherra felt the blade of darkness pass through her, chilling her whole being. The were-fox looked down in shock as her lower body seperated from her torso and she crumpled to the ground. She remained control of her motions long enough to flip her face upwards before her body shut down and she could only watch. She would have given a sigh of relief as she felt a healing coma slip over her, but, she couldn't.  
Zangulus frowned as he discovered that he had hit the wrong target, he was moving to correct his mistake when he saw the discarded staff.  
"SHERRA!!"  
"XINA!!"  
Zangulus looked up in time to see three of his attackers vanish from sight, and wave of concealing dark moved for him, obviously carrying the girl's brother with it. He lunged for the staff and leaped back as Xalan leapt out of the shadow and Val and Duofolger popped into place. Zangulus growled as light and magic ripped into his form.  
"I got what I came for!" Zangulus proclaimed painfully as he vanished from sight again. Teleporting in an escape.  
"GET BACK HERE!!" Duofolger shouted. He turned angrily to what looked to be Sherra's corpse. He teleported to her side as Xina was being helped up by Val, who was getting a glare from her brother.  
"He got the staff," Xina said glumly. "But I know where he's going." She'd seen it often enough in her dreams, and her father had told her what it was.  
"Then you can tell us and we'll..." Xalan stopped as Xina turned a look on him. He swallowed until she smiled suddenly.  
"I'm the only one who can take us there," Xina said in a sing songy manner. Then she looked towards the mazoku. Jol had paused for a moment, before Amethyst had waved him to go ahead to rescue his sister and Tinuviel.  
"I've totally failed..." the mazoku said quietly. The male mazoku's long, midnight blue pony tail hung loosely behind his back as he knelt down beside her.  
"Um...Mr. sword," Xina started.  
"She's dead," he pulled at the white collar of his ice-blue shirt and sighed.  
~What's he going on about?~ the girl was thinking as she tried to flick her eyes towards her long-time partner/weapon. ~His mission ended when I stopped being at ALL mazoku.~  
"Duo..." Xina started before being interrupted again. The mazoku cradled Sherra's torso and started to actually cry, to the amazement of the onlookers.  
"And I never got to tell her how much I loved for her..." the mazoku stopped as he felt a sudden upswing of shock coming from the "corpse" he was cradling. "Uh..she's alive?"  
~WHAT DID HE SAY!?!!?!~  
"That's what I was TRYING to tell you," Xina sighed. Then she elbowed Val, and whispered. "You'd better be taking notes." Val blushed and rolled his eyes heavenward.  
"Were's don't die unless you behead them, burn them or use silver," Xalan explained, trying to ignore his sister flirting with the dragon. He wasn't succeeding.  
"Oh, that was so sweet!" Amethyst clapped and fluttered her eyelashes. Then she shot Xalan a saccharine glance. The kage-kitsune did his best to ignore that as well. He didn't come near as close to succeeding in that as he was with Val and Xina flirtting.  
Duofolger looked around and then down at Sherra, from whom he was feeling a rather confusing mix of emotions. Rage, embarrasment, disbelief, rage, fear, curiousity, oh, and rage. He idly wondered why he hadn't noticed that before, and wondered if he would survive after she healed up.  
  
"Hello Jol-niisan," Kyrie waved as Jol entered the ruined building. Jolrael halted and stared at an amazing scene.  
"Jol-san!!" Tinu sniffed. "You have to save me from this monster!!" It took the swordsman a while to recover from the idea of Tinuviel being phased by anything.  
"Kyrie got bored, didn't she," Jol asked, as he looked at Tinu's....well he supposed you could call it a hair style. It looked more like one of Tinuviel's experiments had backfired, only they had never backfired on her before. The elf nodded furiously while crying, while Kyrie gave her brother a broad grin.   
  
  
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	19. Storms on the Horizon

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Storms on the Horizon  
  
  
  
"So what do we do now?" Amethyst asked. She looked around the small camp, and then glanced at the fire. "Excuse me, Xalan-san, could you get hand me some wood for the fire?"  
"We can't take Sherra," Xalan said as he stood up, he didn't real feel like arguing with Amethyst again. She was convinced that having the fire would help keep Sherra comfortable until the night came and her healing accelerated. He stood up and walked to the wood pile.  
"Yeah, she'll be unconscious for days after this," Xina agreed, watching Amethyst narrowly as the chimera's eyes followed her brother's form to the wood pile. ~Well, Amethyst is okay at least.~ Xalan started to pick up the whole wood pile.  
"No, I don't need that much!" Amethyst said suddenly. "And we should keep the wood pile over there to uh...cut the chance of it accidentally catching fire."  
"Okay," Xalan said after a moment. Amethyst didn't notice nearly everybody eyeing her strangely.  
"Umm....what were we saying?" Amethyst asked.  
"We were saying that you were going to leave Sherra out here, while we hunt that bastard down," Duofolger accused icily. About an hour ago Sherra's nerves had flared to back to life, and she ceased having coherent thoughts and emotions about fifteen minutes after that. He hoped that she was still sane after she finished healing, and half-hoped that she'd forget what he had said.  
"Of course not!" Amethyst said shocked at the thought. "You'd have to stay with her, and Tinu-chan and Kyrie-chan as well! We can't take them with us to...whereever it is." Duofolger's eyes turned toward the elven girl who had almost tried to examine Sherra's injuries and how they were healing. Until, of course, Xina got a look at her hair and started laughing. That had managed to distract her.  
"Then I'd stay to," Jolrael said. Nobody noticed Xina nod her head, as if she had expected that.  
"Watch your backs," Xina said. Jol narrowed his eyes at her, he had a sudden idea that she knew more than she was saying. Reaching out cautiously to the labyrinth of her mind, he found one, clear thought. ~That....is a secret.~ Xina turned to smile and shrug at Jol, a little sadly.  
"Oh, I need a little more wood than this," Amethyst said as Xalan came back. "Could you get me some more...please, Xalan-san?"  
"Oh...kay," Xalan said. "So that's leaves us four then?" he asked, walking back to the wood pile. He glanced back and noticed Amethyst staring at him, he paused a moment and swung his tail from side to side. He tried not to blush as Amethyst's eyes followed the motion.  
"Us four what?" Amethyst asked suddenly as Xalan turned around. Val and Xina sweatdropped.  
"It leaves, you, me, Xalan, and Val," Xina snapped. "You know to go and kill a couple of mazoku?"  
"Oh yeah," Amethyst laughed nervously. "I knew that." She suddenly took an exaggerated concern in sharpening her sword.  
"I'm the transport again," Val sighed. "Aren't I?" Xina smiled up at him indulgently, ignoring her brother's growl. "Where are we going?"  
"North," Xina said. "Dad's home."  
"Oh, we should eat something then," Amethyst stared at the fire. "I think I'll need a bigger fire than this, Xalan-san, could you get me some more wood please?"  
"You do know, that I know what that means, right?" Xalan asked as he stood up, smirking at Amethyst attempting to sputter out denials. She looked anywhere but at him as he walked to the wood pile. This enabled her to notice the various other disbelieving looks she was getting. Amethyst laughed nervously.  
"So, you two are going to babysit the injured and non-combatants," Xina said pointing to Jol and Duofolger. "While we're going to kill a couple of mazoku, right?" Xalan looked uncomfortable including Xina in on the hunt, but he couldn't think of a way to convince her to stay.  
"Look at that storm," Val pointed toward the horizon where a sheet of darkness was skittering over the ocean's surface. "Wait a minute, its moving against the wind."  
"Where?" Xina asked glancing out. "Oh, I see it. Where's it going?"  
"SAILOON!!" Amethyst gasped. "Its heading for Sailoon!! We have to get to my father and warn them!"  
"We don't have time," Xalan said stalling her. "We have to get the staff back, again."  
"Hey...sword boy!" Jol and Duofolger turned to look at Xina. "You can still teleport right?" Jol looked back towards the "storm" there was something about it aside from the fact it was moving against the natural movement of wind in this part of the world.  
"Yeah," Duofolger said, narrowing his eyes. "Not as much as I used to be able to...otherwise this would have been a much shorter trip."  
"You can teleport the five of you though," Amethyst asked quietly. "Tinu and Kyrie don't seem to take up much mass."  
"I think I can do that, yeah," Duofolger said. "Why should I?"  
"For one thing, I'm sure Gourry-sama and Sylphiel-sama would like to know that Kyrie is safe," Amethyst said.  
"Not to mention that if Sailoon falls, then it won't be that safe for anybody," Jolrael added. "And there is that storm."  
"WHAT?!?" Xina whirled to face the other horizen and blanched at the darkness coming from that direction. "Damn! We need to all get moving now!"  
"That will be here come tomorrow morning," Val agreed. "But I don't think we can outrun it."  
"I guess, this is where we split ways for at least a little while," Amethyst sighed. She stood and turned to the five who were returning to Sailoon, taking a serious face. "Jolrael-san, Duofolger-san, take care. If you happen to see my father, tell him what is happening." She glanced around, holding her sword, and looking for something. Val, meanwhile, walked wearily towards a rock for some privacy to change into his dragon form.  
"Missing something, Amethyst?" Xina asked.  
"I can't seem to find my..." she glanced towards where Xalan was sitting, and spotted her scabbard. "Ah...there it is. Xalan-san could you hand me..."  
"Some...wood?" Xalan asked, interrupting. Amethyst lost the ability to think coherently.  
"Yes...no...um...the thing...wood...put sword in...NO didn't mean THAT....the uh... the uh....ARRRGGG...scabbard!" she jabbed a finger at the scabbard next to him and flushed brightly as he handed her the asked for item. Amethyst snapped her blade into the scabbard and turned her back in an embarrassed huff.  
"I thought the guy was supposed to have the sword," Duofolger said idly. Amethyst fumed, being joined suddenly by Xalan, while Xina's laughs redoubled.  
"We don't have time for this foolishness," Amethyst said. "We need to go! Val-san, are you finished?" The ancient dragon's natural form grew up from behind the rock he was behind and his turned to view the camp sight.  
"Yeah, we can..." the dragon-head blinked. "Amethyst, why are you all red like that?" Amethyst laughed nervously again.  
"BIG LIZARD!!!" Kyrie said suddenly.  
"Noooo, I'm a dragon," Val said.  
"LIZARD!"  
"Dragon!"  
"LIZZ....ARD!!!"  
"Oh Val-kun! Please be careful! Or I'll never see you again!" Tinu's words catalyzed several people. Xina stopped laughing, standing up and moving very business like.  
"Erk," was the dragon's intelligent response.  
"Well come on, we can't hang around here and just wait for that second storm," Xina snapped. "Let's go, good luck to you Jol." She glanced at Tinuviel. "On all fronts."  
"Thanks, you too," Jolrael said, looking her over suspiciously. "Anything I should know?"  
"Nothing that would help," Xina said as she moved to join her thoroughly embarrassed brother, and even more embarrassed chimera princess.  
"Bye bye, big lizard!!" Kyrie called out as Val took off with the other three.  
"I AM A DRAGON!!!!!!" Val's parting shout called out.  
"Do we have time to wait for nightfall, do you think," Duofolger asked, noting the pain-racked body in his arms.  
"We should," Jol admitted. He glanced to the ocean and noted that the first storm had indeed disappeared, and wondered about it. He had thought that Xina had wanted them going back to Sailoon, but he hadn't been able to get more out of her mind than "That...is a secret." He supposed, however, that she could have faked a storm if she had controled the darkness well enough. Maybe after this was all finished, she would tell him then.  
  
  
  
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	20. Riding the Storm

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Riding the Storm  
  
  
  
For some reason that Xina had not yet explained to them, the female Metallium had asked Val to skim over the waves away from the storm to the south. Behind them that storm was gaining steadily on their position. If they weren't over the ocean with out land in sight then Xalan would have already suggested that they land and seek shelter.  
"Its going to hit us by nightfall," Xalan said   
"Too bad you two couldn't get your 'wood', eh?" Xina asked, smirking. Xalan didn't bother to reply, but couldn't hide the blush.  
"Would you please quit bringing that up every few minutes?" Amethyst pleaded. "I don't know what got into me, like somebody wanted a laugh at my expense." A certain cosmic power whistled innocently and twiddled his thumbs, but nobody noticed.  
"To the business at hand," Xalan insisted changing subjects. "Dealing with that storm..."  
"We should look for land..." Amethyst said.  
"No!" Everybody, except the dragon who was focused on his flight path, stared at Xina. The firmness of the denial was surprising to them. "We can't stop, or we'll be too late."  
"Too late for what," Xalan asked supiciously. Xina smirked and raised a finger.  
"That...is a secret," she told him.  
"She doesn't really know," Val roared out from beneath them.  
"Hey!" Xina snapped. "How would you know anything about it anyway?"  
"Remember that twelve hour nap you took on my head when we were heading to Sairag?" Val didn't wait for her to answer. "You talk in your sleep." Val didn't miss the growling sound coming from atop his head, just between his ears.  
"Storm. Overtaking us." Xalan interrupted. Xina looked at him for a moment.  
"Oh. Right," Xina started chewing on her mouth as she considered the problem. Nobody noticed Amethyst roll her eyes or start gesturing until the cloud started to form above them. "HOW'D IT GET HERE SO F--" Xina cut off as her brother pointed at Amethyst.  
"Xina-san, Xalan-san, shall we make use of this cloud's shadow?" The kage-kitsune looked to the cloud high in the sky and then down at the suddenly darkened waves. Then both smirked  
"Hey, Val, fly into the shadow!" Xina called out, as the cloud's shadow seemed to deepen suddenly.  
"You know how much I hate that place right?" Val called back.  
"Surely such a magnificent being as you is not afraid of a simple dimensional pocket," Amethyst answered back.  
"Yeah, Val, are you coward or something?"  
"WHAT?!?"  
"That is not what I..." Amethyst tried to protest the twisting of her words, though even she had to admit that there wasn't much to twist.  
"Fine, lets get this over with," Val growled as he dived into the deep shadow and popped out of another a few miles away at the edge of the clouds shadow. The magical cloud moved, much quicker than a normal cloud, to join their position and the proceedure was repeated as soon as it had almost passed.  
"HA!! Catch us now!" Xina shouted back.  
"Xina-san, why are you acting like the storm is alive?" Amethyst asked.  
"Err...no reason."  
They continued on this way for maybe an hour before another storm appeared, ahead of them.  
"We have to get through," Xina said. "The island is just past this mess."  
"Yes, I can feel it there," Xalan agreed.  
"I can handle the protection problems, Xalan-san," Amethyst sighed and started to conjure a defense spell around them. Hopefully they would all still be in a shape to fight after all of this. Casting defend around a whole dragon was rather exhausting work.  
"Why not just do the same thing with the circles?" Val asked. Xina playfully rapped her fist on the dragon's form.  
"I thought you didn't like that place," she teased.  
"Its better than being stuck in a storm," Val grumbled. "So why can't you do it."  
"Too much lightning," Xalan answered. "Shadows aren't going to last long enough."  
"That doesn't make me feel better," Val grumbled, Amethyst's field of magical defense appeared around them, reflecting off the waves below in a yellow light, as the dragon plunged into the storm barrier.  
~Is this....no this isn't what I saw,~ Xina sighed. Then she started chuckling, a sound easily hidden by all the thunder and lightning surrounding them. ~But I can make it look like what I saw.~  
Val blinked as what he first took to be birds seemed to start swarming around him. One paused in his feild of vision and he saw a flash of silvery light and eerily solid light. It looked almost like one of Xina's powers, but he hadn't known she could make illusions like this. Then one of the "illusions" swerved to place itself between Val and a lightning bolt.  
Xalan was less fanciful than his sister. Besides which he hadn't been using these tricks as long as her, and simple was better as far as he was concerned. He raised shields of light and shadow gates to intercept the oncoming lightning bolts. Whatever got through Xalan and Xina smashed into Amethyst's defense spell. They were all being steadily worn down, but the land ahead was being closer.  
Val did his best to ignore the crashing lightning and concentrate on flying through eerily well lit storm. Surrounding him was the yellow glow emanating from them and reflecting off the sea below in a golden aura. Fortunately, Amethyst's defense spell kept out the wind, but he was finding himself needing to rise higher in the air to avoid the waves.  
"These lightning blasts seem to be rather particular about where they strike!" The dragon roared.  
"Don't they," Xina agreed sarcastically, breathing heavily.  
"Perhaps the storm IS alive?" Amethyst asked as she reinforced her defense spell.  
"Seems rather convienient doesn't it," Xalan agreed.  
"There's the island, won't be another minute," Val called out.  
The constant lightning illuminated Wolf Pack Island very quickly, no more than five minutes into the storm. With a goal to make for, Val put forth a burst of speed through the remainder of the storm, coming out in an eerie patch of calm. The entire island was lifeless, ruins and rubble were scattered about. To Xina and Xalan the place was only mildly less disturbing than the lake formed by their mother's giga-slave.  
  
~We have visitors, my love,~ Martina noted irritably to HER general, the final proof of her power. ~We must not let them interrupt the summoning of Zomalgustar, but...wait for them here, it will be much easier that way.~  
"Yes, my mistress," Zangulus nodded, smiling viciously. "I was hoping to see them again anyway."  
~Don't bother to talk to me outloud, its beneath you,~ Martina reminded him. Zangulus gritted his teeth momentarily. ~That's for the mortals.~  
~Of course.~ Zangulus responded, Martina cackled at his agreement and went back drawing the circle with Xellos's staff.  
  
"Why isn't the storm ON the island," Xalan asked suspiciously. He noted his sister handing Val his clothes and frowned, turning his twin away from the dragon and scowlling as Val took human form again.  
"Hey, if you and Amethyst can get some 'wood'...!" Xina snapped. The aforementioned chimera was looking back towards the storm away from the transforming dragon.  
"Xina-san, please stop bringing that up," Amethyst pleaded again."As to why there is no storm here, perhaps it would interrupt whatever ritual they need the staff for."  
"Over there?" Xina pointed where she could barely hear some hideous high-pitched noise that vaguely reminded her of a hyena on a sugar high. The other three nodded sagely, hearing the same noise.   
  
  
  
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	21. Do It Again!!

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Do It Again!  
  
  
  
As Val flew off with the Metallium twins and Amethyst, Jol felt the oddest sensation of being in two places at once for the briefest of moments. Then he was just in one place again, and he recognized it. The village they had last seen Lina Inverse before leaving after Zangulus.  
"Do it again!! Do it again!" Kyrie jumped up and down in front of Duofolger, radiating enough energy to make nitroglycerine seem stable. With her hairing bouncing and arms pumping at hyper intense speed, the little girl even made Tinuviel nervous.  
"Maybe later," the mazoku said before slumping over, exhausted. Six hundred years locked in that sword form with most of his powers sealed had not been completely recovered simply because Sherra was now a werefox. The teleportation had really pushed him, it would be a while before he could do much more. He contented himself with dropping to the ground and lying next to Sherra's...torso. At least night would come sooner this far east. If only by a small amount.  
"Want do it now!!!" Kyrie demanded, she started pounding ineffectually at the recovering mazoku. Between the pain virtually oozing from Sherra, this girl's temper-tantrum, and Jolrael's irritation Duofolger thought he'd be one hundred percent in another hour or so. And there was a comfortable chill developing in the air that reminded him of home.  
"Hmm, this is interesting," Tinuviel said suddenly. Jolrael glanced at her cautiously. "Interesting" had a different meaning when spoken by Tinuviel.   
"What's interesting," Jolrael asked. He relaxed when it appeared that Tinuviel seemed to be just looking up.  
"Its snowing." Jolrael blinked and glanced around as he now noticed the drifting flakes, coming down out of the sky. Duofolger sat up, ignoring the child demanding that he teleport her again. He joined Jol in looking about the area, then hmphed in contempt.  
"Minor mazoku," he said. "I'm not going to be taken by some half-wit demon." Duofolger moved to stand, a little unsteadily, and quickly found himself forced back down.  
"I'm comparatively fresh," Jol reminded him. "Stay in reserve." ~Especially if that little display could bring even a weak mazoku down to the ground.~ "Tinu get back with them, its coming."  
"You might have a point," the mazoku admittedly grudgingly. ~You'd almost think HE was the elf-lord if he didn't look so human. Damn arrogant elves.~  
"What's happening?" Kyrie asked, finally noticing the tension, but still unafraid. The drifting flakes of snow increased in volume, rushing past the level of flurry, and quickly approaching blizzard levels. "Jol-oniisan! Its cold!!"  
"Don't worry about it Kyrie-chan," Tinuviel said cheerily, shouting over the rising wind. "I'm sure Jolrael will fix it, now pay attention, this should be fun!"  
Duofolger and Jolrael glanced at Tinuviel in confusion, even Sherra's comatose form seemed embarrased by that remark. Then the mazoku landed.  
Jolrael turned to face a huge icey limbed humanoid as he drew his own sword. The mazoku's landing had elicited a breathe let up in the wind around him, and a small explosion of snow.  
"Pitiful mortals," the thing's hissing voice, liking cracking ice, carried easily through the blizzard.  
"Not all of us are mortals," Duofolger smirked, but much to his annoyance the other ice demon barely paid him mind.  
"Of no consequence, rogue, drained," the creature didn't even bother to give a physical hint of his contempt.   
"I'm game for a little fun." Jol smirked stepping forward, the supernatural storm retreating from around him. The mazoku glanced at him in the way a person would stare at an attacking mouse. Then the "mouse" lashed forward with telekinetically enhanced speed and power. The ice demon glanced in surprise at the stump of an arm where it had been too slow too dodge completely.  
"Could be fun after all," the thing smirked, dodging another attack from Jol as its arm regrew, attracting the snowflakes for its mass. Duofolger watched, both sides of the battle and smirked, though it chilled him as well. The relationship between elves and humans was well known to mazoku. Humans were what the elves used to be in many ways, and the elves were what the humans were moving towards. Especially considering how long the two races had been mixing blood. Jolrael was a clear sign that the humans were close to reaching the next level being. This was moderately disturbing.  
Jolrael was fighting physically and psychically, but the ice demon couldn't feel it yet. The young swordsman was being subtle, placing walls that kept the nourishing emotions in the air away from his foe. The ice demon was barely keeping up with Jol now, and its reserves of power were not being refilled at any rate, much less a normal one. The fight was a foregone conclusion.  
The snow storm began to calm around them as the fight conitnued. The wind dropped, the snow settled, and the two fighters continued the battle, one obviously toying with the other. Until in the end the ice demon released a flood of cold black energy in a undirected magical attack at his opponent.  
Jol smirked as the attack was deflected off a brilliant white light emanating from him. The mazoku's desperation attack shielded the swordsman from sight as he charged forward. The ice demon never saw the strike that clove it in twain. Jolrael's brilliant white aura flared once as the minor mazoku screamed in denial once and then dissipated into nothing.  
"Definitely only a minor mazoku." Jolrael agreed as the storm just vanished around them, leaving them in a snow filled town void of people.  
"I would have broken those walls instantly," Duofolger agreed wearily, falling back to the ground to continue resting.  
Tinuviel watched as Jol walked over to them and sat down close to her. Jolrael had just demonstrated powers only an elf-lord should possess. She had known he was an empath, but had always thought everything else was just human magic. That, however, proved otherwise. She blinked at the young man she had watched grow up for the last seventeen years.  
~This bears further investigation.~ She told herself.  
"Jol-oniisan..."  
"What is it, Kyrie?" Jol asked as he tried to catch his breath.  
"I couldn't see with all the snow, can you do that again?" Tinu and Jol facefaulted, Duofolger just groaned.   
  
  
  
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	22. Realizations

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Realizations  
  
  
  
"So, why are we waiting, Jolrael-san," Tinuviel asked. Jolrael pointed at the mazoku laying on his back next to half a were-fox in human form.  
"We're waiting for them," Jolrael said. "So are you really okay, Tinu?"  
"Hmm?" Tinuviel asked as she jotted something down in her notebook. "Why shouldn't I be okay?"  
"Because you were held hostage by mazoku for several days," Jolrael noted.  
"That nice man was a mazoku?" Tinuviel asked, blinking. "Why that can't be, wouldn't he have killed us then?"  
"Do you know what happened to the other people you were with?" Jolrael asked.  
"Didn't they go to Zephilia?" Tinuviel asked, blinking.  
"No, they didn't," Jol answered quietly. He scratched an itch, telekinetically since his arms were otherwise occupied.  
"Well, then, did they come with us to Sairagg?" Tinuviel asked. "How did Kyrie and I get to Sairagg anyway? I've been trying to figure that out off and on for a while now." She jotted something else down in her notebook.  
"That 'nice' mazoku brought you, teleporting," Jol said, getting close to actually being irritated with Tinu. "After he killed everyone else that was with you." That is what he had told the Elf Lord at any rate. Though Jol didn't mention he hadn't actually seen the massacre.  
"They're...all...dead?" Tinu dropped her pencil and after a moment picked up again. "That's silly, if there was a battle then I would have heard..." Tinu recalled an explosion of some kind and falling. She had thought it had something to do with the chemicals she was pla...err...experimenting with. It had come from the wrong direction though, hadn't it."...something."  
"Look at Sherra, that 'nice' man did that too her," Jol said. "He's almost killed Xina everytime they've run across each other, he kidnapped you once before. All this while he was still human"  
"You're just...being silly," Tinuviel insisted, jotting something else down in her notebook. "If he was really that bad he could have just killed us."  
"ink abou bay inu," Jolrael found talking with tongue pressed down mildly difficult.  
"Bait? Why would he want bait?" Tinu asked. "Its not like we have anything of interest to a mazoku...except Xina's staff...which he took." Tinuviel paused and stared off for a moment.  
"Are you okay?" Jolrael asked again. Tinuviel didn't respond right away, instead pointing towards the recovering pair.  
"What's you're sister doing?" she asked. Jolrael turned around and caught his sister edging closer to the injured were-fox, curiousity plastered on her face. Tinuviel didn't even blink as the apparatus she had developed to help her investigation of Jolrael's power as ripped to pieces. It hadn't actually been designed to restrain Jol after all, and when he went for his sister it fell apart spectacularly.  
"Kyrie, don't bother her," Jolrael started to lecture, Tinuviel let the conversation of siblings fade out as she considered some things, and watched the setting sun.  
"That means we'll be moving soon," Tinuviel said idly to no one.  
  
The pain of transformation was more than overshadowed by the pain that had been wracking her body over the last few hours. After it was over Sherra was going to start wondering why it should hurt so much, her mazoku body had suffered worse damage, but for the moment she was only relieved to note that the pain was beginning to subside. The healing process was accelerating, and she could feel the flesh knitting together, growing, returning to its proper mold.  
As the pain reduced to the level that she could think again she was struggled to sit up and watched as her lower body grew back. There was an interesting, and extremely uncomfortable, feeling of pain that travelled downward as new flesh was being created.  
~Oh, internal organs,~ Sherra considered as the process neared its finish. ~Nerves and such, never had those as a mazoku.~ Somebody was holding her and she twisted around to look up and saw Duofolger as she expected. The transformation came to an end and she looked down to see toes and wiggled them.  
"Duofolger?" she asked as the pain subsided, then she let out a big breath.  
"Yes, Sherra?" Duofolger was always close, that was the right way of things according to Sherra's normal way of thinking, even if he wasn't a sword anymore. But she remembered him confessing he loved her, when he thought she was dead. She didn't know how to deal with that.  
"LET GO OF ME!!" So she didn't. She shrugged off the surprised mazoku and started stomping off into the woods. "I'm going hunting, DON'T follow me." The silvery-blue furred were-fox stomped off into the woods, not noticing Jolrael having turned himself and his sister away from her or Tinuviel staring at her in shock.  
"Does she know that she has no clothes below her bellybutton," Tinuviel asked, a little shell-shocked.  
"I did not look," Jolrael insisted.  
"And what about you," Tinuviel glared at the still tired mazoku, other matters temporarily forgotten in the face of keeping the men in line.  
"I've been her sword for six hundred years," Duofolger said.  
"Did you look?" Tinuviel asked again.  
"Look at what?" Kyrie asked. "What are all you talking about?"  
"You're too young Kyrie-chan," Jolrael said tightly.  
"Of course, I look..." Duofolger was interrupted when a stick whapped him in the head. He looked up irritably. "Was that supposed to hurt?"  
"How odd," Tinuviel considered this, it was an interesting distraction from other things. "Let me try something else."  
"Like wha...." Duofolger watched nervously as Tinuviel walked over to where Jolrael's back was turned and drew out his sword.  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!" Duofolger and Jolrael shouted simultaneously.  
"Well, maybe this will hurt him," Tinuviel said matter of factly. Jolrael took the sword from Tinuviel quickly. "How does it work anyway, I never got a complete examination of it." She didn't seem at all concerned with how easily he had taken the sword.  
"Tinuviel..." Jolrael sighed. ~She had been doing so well too.~  
"I think the edge is only one dimensional," Tinu rattled on. "Maybe that's why it cuts through anything...could I see the scabbard please?"  
"I think we should get started after Sherra comes back," Jolrael said as he tried to maneuver to keep Tinu away from his sword again. "So get some more rest."  
"Are you giving orders?" Duofolger asked.  
"Got a better idea?" Jol answered. "Tinu, please no, its not a toy!"  
"Just let me look at for a moment," Tinu insisted. "I'm sure I can figure it out."  
"Can I play too?" Kyrie put in.  
  
Sherra looked around nervously as she took another chunk from the leg in her hand. Of course, it was a bear's leg, she idly wondered if she should hunt other things as well, but for now she was just hungry. The regeneration process had left her that way, very hungry, though she had been living with that for a while now. This time it he was actually feeling better after each meal. The bear was almost stripped clean already and she was idly checking the air for anything else that smelled appetizing.  
"Is that a deer over there?" she asked without turning around. When no answer came she got irritated. "Duofolger, I asked....oh wait, left him at camp." She stood up, sighed wistfully, and noted the blood marring her silver-blue fur. "I wonder if he took a look...what am I saying he's mazoku, of course he looked, pervert...." she paused and narrowed her eyes as the last stripped bone of bear hit the ground.  
"How could he embarrass me like that?" Sherra growled to herself before she settled into a new hunt. Several minutes later she was devouring a moose and considering things. "I guess it was somewhat sweet, hmm, I wonder if THAT'S why he got annoyed whenever I was chasing some guy. Or the running commentary about..scratch that...DURING...my sex life. He was JEALOUS?"  
She considered this a little longer, feeling more uncomfortable in each passing moment without the mazoku in close proximity. It had been a long time since she had been without him. He was a fixture in her life, and well, imagining him not there was...quite a bit more than difficult. She frowned briefly, using some mouse bones to pick her teeeth. She didn't know about having an intimate relationship though. Sharing everything, like she did with Duofolger. Relying implicitly on each other, like she and Duofolger did.   
She frowned again, this wasn't going the direction she thought it would. Then, of couse, there was the question of sleeping together, well he was cute in his humanoid form, such wonderfully cold colors. All that silver, blue and pale gray, it reminded her of home. Sherra began to wonder if the idea had merit, or maybe if the relationship were already there.  
"He'd better have taken a look," she muttered through her teeth. She wasn't quite so hungry, and now she was getting sleepy. "Time...*yawn*...to go back." She glanced down and frowned. "But lets see if I can find something in one of those houses first."  
  
"DUOFOLGER!!" the mazoku in question cringed as the familiar, if a little more bestial, voice called out. They are all soon presented the image of Sherra walking into camp in an over-sized tunic that reached down to her knees.  
"You're overreacting again," the former sword reminded her.  
~He's STILL treating me like a kid after everything else?~ Sherra blinked, walked over to the mazoku, yawned, and hit him. "Stop treating me like a kid!"  
"When you..." Sherra hit him again.  
"And that's for embarrassing me!" Sherra snapped. Then she hit the bored looking mazoku again, if she really wanted to hurt him, he knew she would have used the claws. "And that's for never telling me why you got upset with me chasing after guys." She yawned again, pausing in her tirade, then her face returned to a fierce pose. "And this is for...err...whatever!"  
Expecting another ineffectual thumping, Duofolger, and evertbody else was surprised when the werefox just suddenly leaned down and kissed the mazoku. After perhaps a minute she settled down on the surprised winter-demon's lap and wrapped her arms around him.  
"Now carry me so I can sleep while we travel," Sherra said wearily before falling dead asleep and starting to snore contentedly against the mazoku.  
"Did anybody understand that?" Tinu and Jolrael shook their heads.  
"Duo-san," Kyrie scratched her head. "Your girlfriend is weird."  
"And very loud." Jolrael noted as the snoring started.  
"Should we leave now?" Tinuviel asked, staring at the rather, odd werefox. First she was hungry, now she's sleeping. I wonder if this has anything to do with her healing.  
  
  
  
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	23. Battle

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Battle  
  
  
  
As the Metalliums, a princess and a dragon began to really attempt to outrun an onrushing storm that seemed to be alive, a werefox, mazoku, swordsman, elf and little girl climbed to the head of a ridge and looked down into the developing battle. A few skirmishes here and there was the extent of it for the moment, but that would quickly change.  
"There they are," Jol noted pointing down the hill. "There are some units down this path a ways."  
"Yes, I felt that, thank you," Duofolger agreed. A hand snapped the mazoku over the back of the head.  
"Sleepin'," Sherra shifted in his arms and fell back into full sleep.  
"She's feeling better," Jol noted quietly. "She's only been asleep since the night before last."  
"Well, I think it is the regeneration," Tinuviel noted. "I've heard that some forms of regeneration involves burning a lot of energy, it would certainly explain why she was so hungry, I wonder how much she ate. Hmmm, I wish I had thought of this before, I could have done a quick search to find any remains, what kind of animals live in this area anyway, it seems to be very wild, the animals aren't like those in an elven forest at all..."  
"There are a lot of foxxies!!!" Kyrie reminded her helpfully.  
"Excuse me, could you to please keep quiet," Duofolger asked. "We are trying to approach a battle without attracting attention." Sherra slapped him again.  
"Try sleep." Duofolger rolled his eyes in frustration.  
"Is she really asleep?" Jol asked. "Or is she just faking?"  
"You can't tell?" Duofolger asked.  
"Quiet," Sherra snapped sleepily, slapping the mazoku again.  
"You can't figure it out anymore than I can," Jol pointed out to the irritated mazoku.  
"True..." Duofolger growled as Sherra's arm smacked him again.  
"Maybe its a reflex action," Tinuviel suggested.  
"If I was still *thwap* talking to her *thwap* telepathically, *thwap* I could *thwap* see that." *thwap*  
"Hee hee, they're funny," Kyrie pointed at the pair and giggled.  
"Stupid sword." Everybody else stared at Sherra for a long moment before Jol looked back up to Duofolger.  
"Tinu may have a point," Jol said as Sherra continued snoring away blithely. Duofolger wanted to say something, but didn't particularly want to be hit again either, whether or not she could actually do anything he would find painful. Feeding on irritation was one thing, BEING irritated was quite another. "Shall we go?"  
"It would be nice to get into the battle before it ends," *thwap* Duofolger rolled his eyes and sighed expressively.  
  
"It's been an hour," Tinuviel noted. "Why are we just going in a big circle?"  
"Shh," Jol continued quietly. "We want to be quiet."  
"Jol-oniisan," Kyrie whined. "I'm tired, will you carry me?"  
"HA!" *thwap* "SHHH!" An irritated mazoku glared at the three mortals.  
"I think my parents are off this direction a few more miles," Jol said pointing, while ignoring his pouting sister.  
"Why is that Jol-san?" Tinuviel asked, drawing out her notepad.  
"The fighting is more confused out there," Jol said shrugging. "I think I can find the reserves..." Duofolger set Sherra down, or tried to, the werefox, currently in human form merely grabbed tighter to him and wouldn't let go. The mazoku decided to go ahead and suffer the coming hit.  
"I'll point us out *thwap* to them easily," Duofolger started. "And don't think that *thwap* winter demon was the last. *thwap* I'll stay with Sherra and watch for them." *thwap* One of Sherra's eyes blinked open.  
"Would you please keep quiet?" Sherra demanded. "Nothing but chatter."  
"Sounds like she's almost awake anyway," Duofolger noted dryly.  
"Grrrr."  
"That sounds funny when you aren't all hairy!" Kyrie pointed out helpfully. Sherra turned to glare at the little blonde girl and then tried close the already almost non-existant gap between her and Duofolger before going back to sleep.  
"I'll try to come back this way," Jol said. "But I'll probably be fighting before I see you again."  
"This is a problem?" Duofolger asked. Jol arched an eyebrow.  
"Jol-niisan, I don't wanna walk anymore!!"  
"Keep an eye on your back," Jol said.  
"Jol-niisan!"   
"If you want quiet maybe we should go before the little br...your sister starts crying?" Tinuviel asked sweetly, she missed having long hair. Jol rubbed the bridge of his nose and picked up his sister after a moment's exasperated head shaking. The three vanished into the woods, leaving behind Duofolger with a snoring blue-haired girl that was seemingly surgically attached to him.  
  
Sherra woke up yawning as the sun began climbing down from its xenith.  
"All I wanted was a couple of hours sleep," Sherra said irritably glaring up into Duofolgers face. It would have been more effective if she hadn't been sitting in his lap at the moment. "Did you people have to keep talking all the time?"  
"You've been asleep for almost two days," Duofolger pointed out. "Its hard to communicate with out talking."  
"Whatever, I've taken longer naps before," Sherra shrugged. "How long ago did they leave?"  
"Early morning," Duofolger said.  
"So it's just us then?" Sherra asked slyly. "The sent of blood and fire wafting up from the battlefield." Duofolger raised an eyebrow. Well, Sherra was acting normally and throwing herself into the new goal whole-heartedly.  
"You have yet to learn subtlety," he said.  
"I don't need it, I'm cute!" Sherra said honestly enough. "And about the only thing that would make this situation even better..." Duofolger grabbed a dagger before it could hit Sherra. "...is a good battle!" Sherra stood up out of Duofolger's lap and faced where the dagger had come from.  
Duofolger stood up smoothly behind her and extended his senses outward for what he suspected was the culprit.  
"Stubborn one, aren't you?" Duofolger asked the woods around them.  
"Is it that were-hunter again?" Sherra asked, Duofolger showed her the silver dagger. "Whoever thought that a mortal could be so much trouble."  
"Luna Inverse," Duofolger noted.  
"She doesn't count as mortal!" Sherra insisted.  
"Lina Inverse."  
"Well, yeah, but she's a special case," Sherra protested.  
"Zelgadis Greywords."  
"He's not all mortal!"  
"Amelia Wil Tesla Sailloon?"  
"Blind luck!"  
"Gourry Gabriev."  
"ALRIGHT! I get the point!" Sherra shouted.  
"Are you two finished?" Kalus stepped out into the clearing holding a vial and ready to throw. "Because I have an abomination to get rid of."  
"So why aren't you in the battle?" Sherra asked the hunter. The man tossed a few daggers which the former mazoku dodged with a casual ease born of hundreds of years in practice.  
"I'll wait for your ilk to let down their guard," he answered. "Like now." Kalus was either not aware that neither of his targets were taking him seriously, or else he didn't care. The man tossed his vial at Duofolger, who almost negligently teleported out of its way. The mazoku appeared behind the hunter and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.  
"Hey, he's mine," Sherra snapped.   
"Are you certain about this?" Duofolger asked.  
"I haven't had a good kill since my last species change," Sherra said angrily. "If you think I'm losing jump in, but I want him."  
"As you wish, mistress," Duofolger said with smirk, dropping Kalus.  
"This is why I hunt you freaks," Kalus snapped. "All of you are evil, man-killing freaks."  
"Actually, I never really cared about killing," Sherra said. "It just makes such nice tasting fear and anger in whoever's left."  
"Whatever that means," Kalus hmphed. He drew out a few knives. "Trying to take me yourself will be a mistake." Kalus launched a few daggers which Sherra dodged smoothly.  
"Please, you're a few hundred years too late to beat Sherra...umm," Sherra turned to face where Duofolger was sitting. "I'm not a Grausherra any more, what was my family name?"  
"I think it was sowuhtoemay or something like that," Duofolger shrugged.  
"I don't need to know your name," Kalus shouted. ~If I'm going to die I'm going to remove at least one more of these monsters from the world.~ Kalus had trained most of his life to fight with daggers especially, and he had trained himself hard. In a straight battle he might have even given Zelgadis a few minutes hard work, assuming Zelgadis were cured of his curse and refrained from using magic.  
Sherra on the other hand was much weaker than she ever remembered being, but she was still much stronger and faster than the average human. A little above human levels in fact even in her human form. And it may have been a couple hundred years since she broke the habit of melee combat, but that left hundreds of other years of active participation left engrained in her instincts. Gourry or Zangulus would have been an even match, but this knife thrower was out of his depth.  
"I haven't done this in a long time," Sherra smiled. "I'd almost forgotten how fun it could be to face off against an opponent like this. Thanks!" She smirked as she dodged Kalus's strikes. She smiled at the man's sneer. She couldn't feel his emotions any more, but she dimmly remembered enjoying that look ages ago before she was mazoku.  
"This is not for your benefit, beast!" Kalus shouted.  
"This quite a wonderful meal Sherra, my compliments," Duofolger noted.   
"I don't really want to eat him," Sherra snickered. "But he isn't getting out of this alive. I don't like being hunted."  
"Well I was referring to the anger waving off him," Duofolger corrected.  
"Oh, that's right," Sherra snickered.  
"You will take me seriously!" Kalus growled. Sherra dodged under a slash and closed in with the man.  
"Why?" Then she struck upwards, and continued striking, finally pulling back and letting the foolish hunter fall to the ground. "I'm way too slow." Sherra sighed as she kicked at the hunter experimentally.  
"You haven't won yet, demon," Kalus gasped weakly through cracked ribs, drawing out a vial with a shaky hand.  
"What do you think..." An explosion erupted out from Kalus seeming to envelope both him and Sherra. As the flames died down the smoke cleared to reveal one crispy corpse at the bottom of a crater. Duofolger hovered several yards in the air holding Sherra.  
"You saw that coming, of course," Duofolger noted.  
"Oh, shut up," Sherra snapped. She smirked at him. "That was fun."  
"Good thing he was human," Duofolger noted. "Not like those mazoku coming up behind us." Sherra looked over his shoulder and frowned at the approaching snow storm.  
"A blizzard, a fight to the death, the smell of crispy corpse, and battle going on," Sherra lifted off, showing that six hundred years as a mazoku didn't just disappear. "There is such a thing as too much of a good thing." She sighed shaking her head irritably.  
  
  
  
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	24. The Showdown Begins

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
The Showdown Begins  
  
  
  
"This is worse than Sairaag," Xalan spat as they worked their way deeper into the wasted island. They paused in front of a river bed running full with some sort of golden...substance. Looking closer they couldn't even tell if it was matter or energy, it just seemed to be...there.  
The discomforting river bed was easily bypassed, but streams and creeks of the strange substance appeared with disturbing frequency as they proceeded towards the shattered mountain from which drifted Martina's frenzied voice.  
"This stuff isn't what I think it is, is it?" Xina asked.  
"It...appears to be the the substance of the Sea of Chaos," Amethyst said swallowing nervously.  
"That's what I thought," Xina said. They paused at the edge of the crater that sat where, twenty years ago, stood the stronghold of Xelas Metallium. The golden rivers ate through the edges of the crater and Xina and Amethyst peaked through one of the carved river beds and saw Martina and Zangulus in the center of the crater standing in front of a golden pool.  
"The world is....bleeding." Xalan remarked in mild disgust at that reality. "We should move now."  
"Before they see us," Amethyst agreed, drawing her sword.  
"And what are we waiting for!" Xina snapped, rushing up and leaping over the edge of the crater.  
"Right, in the name of Justice we must put down these fiends!!!" Amethyst shouted joining her friend in the charge.  
"Don't just rush...damn it! Nevermind," Xalan grumbled as he followed behind the two girls, quickly passing ahead of them. Though the great bulk of Val's dragon form quickly overshadowed them all as they charged the pair of mazoku.  
"Ah, the mortals have arrived," Martina declared, pausing her incantation to laugh. "Deal with them, my love."  
"My pleasure," Zangulus smirked as he launched forward, crackling with dark power, floating over the streams of gold. He paused for a moment as a swarm of black and silver objects seemed to grow out of nothing and charge forward obscuring the smaller attackers. "Interesting trick."  
A blade of black energy formed at Zangulus's commands and sliced through the swarm of bird-like constructs. The flocked swarmed over him, but their incessant pecking was little more than annoyance as Zangulus fought his way through to the mortals beyond.  
"ASTRAL VINE!" A blade of glowing red steel flashed through the constructs at the mazoku behind the birds, and Zangulus only barely rose his own mazoku formed blade to block. Then he teleported into the air as a tremendous claw ripped through where he had been standing.   
"Get the woman!" Xalan shouted as he leapt from the ground at the floating mazoku, light blades extended forward. Zangulus dodged the kage-kitsune's first leaping attack,   
and a wave flame and power rose up at a gesture from him, between the dragon and his mistress.  
"Xalan-san! RAYWING!!" Amethyst lifted off the ground and snatched the Metallium before he could land in the inferno. "You should be more careful about where you jump."  
"The fire wasn't there when I jumped," Xalan protested dryly.  
"Getting to her is harder than it sounds!" Val roared backwinging away from another attack and turning to release a blast of laser breath at the mazoku.  
"Good try," Zangulus smirked as he blinked away from the blast appearing next to the flying chimera and her passenger.  
"OH, BLOODY!! DROP!!" Everybody stopped and starred at Amethyst for a moment. "Don't ANYONE tell my father about that!!"  
"Whatever," Zangulus said. The mazoku pulled out a scroll and started scanning it. "Where were we?"  
"Amethyst just cursed and yelled 'drop'," a female voice called out from somewhere. No one bothered to note that Xina seemed to have vanished.  
"Oh, thanks," Zangulus. Then the mazoku looked about for a little while "What are we doing?"  
"Breaking the fourth wall," Val said. "It sometimes happens about this point in a Slayers battle."  
"Can we get back to the action please?" Martina demanded, tapping her foot irritably.  
"Right, Oh my! Drop!" Amethyst shouted.  
"That's not what you said before," Xina shouted from where ever she was.  
"Can we just get on with this?!" Amethyst said exasperated. "Before the author picks on me anymore?" Everybody shrugged and then Zangulus slashed out at the flying pair with his blade of black energy. Amethyst cut her Raywing and Xalan dropped to the ground narrowly avoiding the attack.  
"You have no chance, mort..omph!!" Zangulus turned to face the dragon that had rammed him from behind and smiled. "I guess I should pay more attention to the lizard."  
"Watch who, you're calling a lizard!" Val roared gripping the mazoku in his claw and trying to crush him. Zangulus almost casually held out his hands to stop the claw from closing in on him and met the dragon's glare with a relaxed smile.  
~Fools,~ Martina thought as she continued breaking the seal to her lord and master, the monster Zomalgustar, who would devour all. ~Let them play with my general, even when they lay him low they will be too late to stop me.~  
The pool of gold in front of her started to bubble upward as Martina's high pitched laughing approached a crescendo. She noticed out of the corner of her eye, that bitch Lina's son charging towards her, while her general was playing with the dragon above. The chimera was gathering power for an attack of some kind, as well. Her hand was upraised with her fingers extending downward, as if she were drawing power from the ground.  
~ZANGULUS!! You moron!! You left them alone to long!~ Martina shouted telepathically. The male mazoku turned away from the dragon and looked down to see events happening.  
"Sorry, lizard, don't have time to play," the demon smirked before blinking out, letting Val's claws, he had been using both now, clapped shut. The mazoku appeared in front of the onrushing kage-kitsune and summoned his black blade again. "Where do you think you're going?"  
"ELMEKIA COMET!!" Amethyst shouted, slamming her hand downwards in an arc, Martina, paused in her incantation again to see a streak of energy rip from above her into her general. Then the chimera improvised another spell. "ELMEKIA VINE!!" The chimera blurred and slashed out with the speed born of her mazoku blood, quicker than even the two true mazoku could register.  
Xalan paused only a moment to watch Amethyst's charge slowly lose its momentum as the mazoku tried to recover the initiative. The chimera princess's blade shone a blue white as she slashed and parried in a dance that only appeared frenzied. The constant flow of conflicting battle strategies flowed through Xalan's subconscious by virtue of hie empathic talents, and he knew Amethyst was outmatched in both skill in power. He glanced up and saw the dragon descending again and nodded. Amethyst had help, and stopping Martina was more important.  
~That idiot,~ Martina growled. Behind her the golden pool grew brighter and started rapidly bubbling. ~I'll have to help him if I want to finish this.~ Martina turned to face her attackers, not noticing the silvery black bird that settled on the ground behind her. Not noticing Xina rising out of the shadow until something jerked on the staff she had finally retrieved.  
"Excuse me," Xina smirked. "But I believe that is mine!"  
"You little tramp!" Martina growled, turning to blast away the impudent mortal. Then the pool exploded and all was gold for a brief second. As the light cleared away Martina saw neither of Lina's brats, nor the staff, and the pool formed of the Sea of Chaos had vanished as well. All that remained was a great crater within the crater of the shattered mountain. Then there was the tell tale sign of a dimensional gate closing.  
The dragon and her general had been in the air when the explosion had occured, and now, were laying stunned across the field of battle. Martina turned to face the only other standing individual, the ivory-skinned chimera wielding a blade still glowing with spiritual power.  
"They're gone," Amethyst said quietly, then looked down at the ground and clenched her fists. The chimera held in her tears and then snapped her head up. "I know who you are! You killed my grandfather, you cursed Lina-sama, you're trying to destroy the world, and you TOOK XALAN-SAN!!" Martina smirked at the wave of rage and anger that wafted from the chimera, and then gasped as the chimera was suddenly in front of her and swinging a sword.  
  
Xalan suddenly found himself in a strange world standing next to his sister. At first it seemed to be gray as far as they eye could see, and then he saw that same golden substance from before. There was almost a sea here, and he sensed that it should not be here.  
"No, it should be inside me," a voice said. Xalan whirled to see a blonde woman leaning against a rock and clutching her side as the golden substance seemed to flow out. "That little rogue is trying to finish what her old master started, this will take me centuries to heal."  
"Who are you?" Xalan asked. Xina crossed in front of him.  
"L-Sama," she gasped.  
"What?" Xalan snapped, in shock.  
"Of course," the woman smirked.   
  
  
  
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	25. Elf Lords

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Elf Lords  
  
  
  
The wood elf turned at the sound of what he thought was a twig snapping. Sure this was the far back lines, but there was always the chance that some enemy could be lurking about behind the lines. He relaxed when he saw, heard and smelled nothing. He had to get back to the front there was nothing out here to watch for.  
"Are we there yet!?" a peevish childish voice asked. The elf world around to see two humans and a high elf standing behind him. He had to wonder how the child, who was obviously not very concerned with stealth, hadn't alerted him to their presence.  
"Is there a place I can leave non-combatants nearby?" the older human, a dark-haired boy in his late teens. He looked familiar to the elf.  
"You're Gabriev's son!" the elf declared suddenly.  
"Yessss," Jol said slowly as if speaking to a child. "Non-combatants, some place relatively safe. Does any of this ring any bells?"  
"There's the field hospital," the elf said, shaking off the surprise. "How did you get so close to me?"  
"The clouded mind sees nothing," Tinuviel said in silibant voice while producing a small light spell under her chin. The elf just looked at her blankly.  
"What?" Jol asked. "Is that?"  
"Something I read in a book once," Tinu said. "I always wanted to get a chance to say that."  
"Oh kay," Jolrael said. "Look, just direct me to the field hospital and we can both get into..." Jolrael looked up and past the elf. "SHIT! And let's get that done quickly, we have more company coming." The human pointed up at the approaching storm front.  
"It's just a..."  
"No it's not just a storm." Jol said.  
"Then wha..."  
"A whole bunch of minor mazoku I think," Jolrael interrupted the elf again.  
"The fiel..."  
"The field hospital is that way?" Jol asked pointing. The elf nodded. "Thanks."  
"How do.."  
"How do I do what?" Jol asked innocently. "Come on we don't have time to be sitting around here discussing parlor tricks, let's go!"  
"How much further?" Kyrie whined as Jolrael seemed to vanish back into the woods. The elf followed closely behind, though he soon lost sight of the trio. "Where'd they go?"  
  
Fimore glanced to his rear line, past where he assumed the wood elven rebels were stationed. There was a storm forming on the horizon, a storm with a particular taint emanating from it.  
"Mazoku," he spat.  
  
"Just what we need," Zelgadis sighed as the aftermath of his last Dug Haut left him a little breathing room. "A fourth army to join this mess."  
"What are you talking about, its just a storm," one of the magicians next to him said.  
"No they're demons, and they're heading this way, spread the word," Zelgadis said dryly. "If it wasn't a free for all before, its about to become one."  
  
"Oh dear, that is not a natural storm," Sylphiel sighed as she looked from the soldier she was healing. Then she felt something approach, something that didn't want to be noticed. She turned toward the edge of the tree line and watched as her son appeared out of the woods along with his sister and the elf-girl, Tinuviel.  
"Jolrael! And Kyrie!!" Sylphiel shouted. "You're safe!!" Sylphiel rushed across the field, nimbly avoiding bumping into anybody, and swept her children into a hug. "Oh we thought you were gone, dear."  
"But I was just with that strange man in the hat," Kyrie said. "He gets made a lot!" Kyrie giggled.  
"Mom," Jol sighed. "I'm going to have to go fight now."  
"Of course," Sylphiel said reluctantly, releasing her children and accepting her daughter, who was perfectly happy at being transferred. "Oh my poor dear. Thank Ceipheed you're all right," Sylphiel sighed. "Hakubi-san, its good to see you healthy as well." Sylphiel nodded to Tinuviel  
"I don't see how we were in any danger," Tinuviel said, though the hesitation in her normal cheerful demeanor indicated she may not have felt it. "That storm has moved very quickly since we first saw it, though. So we might have trouble soon."  
"I was already planning on an attempt to evacuate the hospital," Sylphiel said. "Lina and your father are near the front, where's every one else?"  
"Most of them are chasing after Zangulus and Martina," Jol explained. "There are two more of us here, but I'm not certain you know them. They're probably already fighting by now." Jol said.  
"Don't be too reckless, Jolrael," Sylphiel commanded him as he turned towards the sounds of battle.  
"I'm never reckless," Jolrael said. "I leave that to other people." He waved and vanished into the forest with a smirk.  
"Excuse me," a elf said, stumbling into the clearing. "Did three people just, oh, they're here already."  
  
The sounds of battle reaching Jolrael's ears were just transforming from an overall din into the sound of individual skirmishes when the storm hit. In mere instants the place was blanketed with snow an inch deep, quickly growing from there. The white against the bright, vibrant greens and browns of the forests were mentally jarring.  
Jol paused in walking as the first of the mazoku descended. Three of the creatures, like the one before. Jolrael shrugged as he drew his sword and readied himself to face the monsters.  
"I was holding back the last time I fought one of you," Jol said to grimmly smiling creature. "Not this time."  
"Do not bluff uhhhfff..." the speaking demon was tossed backwards through a tree, bringing the great plant down between the other two mazoku. "...mortal." The ice demon stood up and glowered at Jolrael.  
"I don't bluff," Jolrael said simply before charging forward.  
  
Lord Fimore hesitated a moment before slicing through one of the mazoku that had added there presence to the field.  
"Another Elf Lord," he muttered. "With the rebels!"   
The scion of House Feanor turned back from the human lands began to rush back through the ranks, what little rank there was now. Absently destroying the swarming ice demons that were tearing apart his forces, assuming they came in his reach at least. He paused only a moment before deciding that his sorcerers and assorted magicians were holding there own against the demons.  
Fimore had bigger problems to deal with than a few minor spirits.  
  
"This is perhaps good news," Zelgadis said as he blasted another demon out of existence. "There are more of the high elves than there are of us. The demons are a bigger problem for them. Remind me to send Dynast a thank you message."  
"Wouldn't that be dangerous for the messenger, milord?"  
Zelgadis turned to look at the young soldier.  
"That was a joke."  
"Oh, uh okay."  
  
Lina smiled, a truly terrifying thing in the fourth aspect. At the moment she lived for battle and battle alone. And the addition of a few hundred demons to the battle field was very satisfying. Especially since the demons tended to occupy the minds of the enemy spellcasters long enough for her or one of the other surviving werefoxes to get close enough to kill them.  
Lina ripped a demon apart, not bothering to use her fangs. She had discovered that they did not taste very good. After the demon fell she noticed a new change in the air and the surprise shocked her enough that she regained the second aspect. The fox woman glanced around, ignoring the expressions on the various faces of soldiers who suddenly realized that a very attractive, if furry, and very nude, woman seemed to have suddenly materalized in their midsts.  
"That smells like...," Lina started.  
"Lina-chan! Put some clothes on," a voice snapped from behind her. "Really, how long have you been living in that forest of yours?" Lina turned to face her sister, actually out of uniform for the first time since she could remember. Luna faced an oncoming unit of elves and casually cast a mega brando that scattered the lot of them.  
"Oneesama? What are you doing here?" Lina demanded.  
"Lina, clothes," Luna insisted. The woman materialized a thick bulky robe and tossed it at her sister. "That should survive your transformation."  
"Okay," she put the robe on quickly, not wanting to aggravate her sister. "Now, uh, why are you here?" Lina asked bervously, making sure they were still in a calm area for now.  
"I missed work," Luna said coldly. "Since you are properly attired, well as close as possible anyway, I think its time we both returned to the battle." The woman rose up off the ground and into the sky, the mazoku formed storm clearing as far as a mile away from her. Following Luna's aerial departure there were a number of large, very large, explosions.  
"I think that's good news," Lina muttered to herself before she began to seek out more opponents. The former sorceress grew and dropped to all fours for more speed as shifted into the fourth aspect to hunt.  
  
Jolrael felt the fool heading his way, they would meet soon. Him and the Elf Lord, the absolute epitomy of all that he despised about his distant relatives. The arrogance, the superiority, the supreme hubris that so many of them displayed to anybody that wasn't an elf, and quite a few who were. Jolrael smiled quietly as he considered the coming meeting and easily sidestepped a pair of elven warriors.  
Then he was there, and the way opened up between the two. The Elf Lord regarded his opponent and sneered.  
"A boy, a mere HUMAN child?" he growled. "By what evil power do you bear an Elf Lord's power, boy?"  
"I'd assume genetics," Jolrael said as he hefted his blade.  
"Genetics, what magic is this?" The Elf Lord started circling him.  
"Another word for heredity," Jol explained. "Much as I hate to admit it, I do have the blood of you stinking, haughty elves in my history."  
"An abomination," Fimore spat. "When I return I shall have all of mixed blood hunted down to extinction. Humans are not meant for such power."  
"Apparently we are," Jol smirked. They barely noticed the appearance of Luna Inverse's power in the battlefield, so concerned they were with each other.  
The two swordsmen stopped moving and suddenly they exploded into bright, shimmering lights as they charged forward. Two men engaged immediately in two battles. One a battle of swordsmanship, the other one of clashing minds.   
  
  
  
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	26. Dual Duel

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Dual Duel  
  
  
  
"Can you split your mind?" the Elf Lord asked with a smirk as his young opponent's image manifested in the blank no-man's land between their minds. Jolrael shrugged negligently.  
"I believe so," Jol said dryly as his opponent frowned. "Or did you just discover that on your own." He dropped into a fighting stance, his blade appearing in his hands. The Elf Lord snorted.  
"You're experience is obviously lacking, boy," the Elf Lord declared as the gray sky of the mindscape began to blacken. "This is not like a sword fight." Jol charged the arrogantly standing Elf Lord as the lightning crashed down from the sky and into him.   
The Elf Lord smirked at the resulting dust cloud and prepared to lay on assualt on the part of Jolrael's mind that was fighting physically. Until he realized that there shouldn't have been a dust cloud. He glanced about and barely lept out of the way of a whipping strike as his opponent rose up out of the ground slashing.  
"It seems you've learned some of the tricks after all," Fimore said reluctantly. He willed his image back away from the sword bearing youth.  
"Whatever works," Jolrael said, smirking. The Elf Lord seemed bored as the predictable sword swings battered against the field he had erected.  
~The fool doesn't understand the subtleties of the mindscape,~ the Elf Lord thought to himself. ~Predictable of a human. Just a mindless bug that can't truly think beyond the flesh.~  
"You really should take me more seriously," Jolrael warned as he circled around to find an opening in the Elf Lord's barrier.  
"You are a skilled swordsman, boy," the Elf Lord sneered. "But you are pathetic in this realm of combat. I shall crush you like a bug." Jolrael paused as he felt the ground shaking underneath him, just before a tremor split the ground under his feet. The swordsman dropped into the crack, Fimore didn't see the smirk as Jol vanished from sight.  
Jolrael hovered just under the lip of the crack for a moment, before rising swiftly into the mindscape's sky. He beat the crack closing back up by only a few moments. Jolrael dropped, sword construct leading the way. The Elf Lord extended his barrier to cover the new direction of attack, and Jol had to swerve his dive to avoid crashing into it.  
"At least your defense is much better than your offense," Fimore nearly yawned in boredom. He had this measely little mortal on the run. All was as it should be.  
Jolrael landed smoothly and turned to face the Elf Lord, adopting an appropriately grim face. He shifted his blade almost absently in his hand. He smiled again.  
"You really should take me more seriously."  
  
In the battle, the new sorceress was becoming obvious to the Sailoon front of the battle.  
"What is going on over there?" a soldier asked the mage next to him as there was suddenly a huge movement in the middle of the battlefield. A mass of elves and ice demons both seemed to be running full tilt away from somthing. In the haste of their flight, the high elves and ice demons didn't seem to care that they were supposed to be fighting each other as well.  
"It looks like a woman in a tunic and breeches," the mage said, curiously. Then the ground underneath one of the fleeing flanks suddenly exploded upward into the largest digu volt ever recorded. "M...m.m...must be a sorceress."  
"She has purple hair, doesn't she," both Sailoon citizens turned to face the Regent in total surprise.  
"Yes, why is that important?" The mage asked.  
"Never mind, just withdraw and find another flank to fight."  
  
A few miles away two swordsman fought each other in a wide space devoid of any other fighting. It hadn't started as a clearing, but in space of time since they had started the duel, the space had been mostly cleared of trees. Most of the topsoil, and a great deal of the ground underneath it, had been stripped as well.  
"A pity your mind is not as well-trained as your body," Fimore huffed. "This would be a much more interesting battle, if that were the case."  
"Well, I could give you interesting," Jolrael said, catching his breath as well. "But I prefer to win."  
"Typical human," the Elf Lord scoffed as he came in on the attack again. "Thinking brute force will carry the day." The swordplay continued towards a draw.  
  
On the mindscape Fimore seemed almost completely in control as the mutually designed world about them was warped according to his whims. All the while he stayed safely in his little barrier.  
"That's right little man," he laughed out loud. "Try to run while you still can. You shall only die tired." Jolrael ignored the commentary as he brought his sword down on the elf's barrier. The feeling of rigidity and resilience was much greater than when it had been first raised. Jolrael couldn't help but smile. He had been reinforcing the mental tower the entire time.  
"You really should have taken me more seriously," Jolrael said as he dodged to the side of another lightning blast. The swordsman thrust his blade into the ground and smirked at the curious Elf Lord. It was a split second later that streamers of sharp-pointed metal erupted from the ground just inside the barrier.  
"Elbereth!!" The Elf Lord cried as the metal obscured him from sight, curving inward at the top of the barrier. All that followed was a muffled scream that was cut off in choking gasp.   
"One half down," Jol smirked as he willed his mind forward to seek Fimore's remaining manisfestation. One that would be engaged in fighting a battle of swords.  
  
"Surprised?" Jol asked as he pressed his attacks forward. "I don't see why you should be." The Elf Lord said nothing as he parried and riposted, all initiative lost. Asusming he'd ever had it.  
"How could you defeat me!" he said finally.  
"Did you really think my offense would be so much poorer than my defensive skills," Jolrael asked. "I liked the way you'd shape the mindscape to announce every attack you were going to make." He added enthusiastically. "I suppose I needed all the help I could get."  
"You insign..ack!" The Elf Lord winced, and his stance was suddenly non-existant.  
"Can you fight on two fronts with only one point of concentration," Jolrael asked. A twist of his blade sliced through the sword gripped lifelessly in the Elf Lord's hands.   
Jol smirked as the Elf began to return somewhat to awareness of the physical world. He snapped forward at Fimore's knee with his foot, and the joint snapped under the pressure. The Elf Lord toppled and shrieked for a moment before an answering smirk appeared on his face.  
"I guess not," both Jol and the Elf Lord said at once as Fimore's body calmly sat on its knees in front of the young man. The two continued to speak in one voice as Jol set his blade in front of Fimore's throat. "I could kill you now, better yet, I could have you kill yourself. Understand that in there?"  
Both of them snorted in amusement, as if a third person had spoken.  
"But I'm not going to do it," the two said together. "You are, however, going to command an end to this war. Provided we deal with the mazoku, of course." They eerily laughed once in unison. Then the Elf Lord stopped and he glared in outright hatred at the young man in front of him.  
"You dare mock a scion of House Feanor?"  
"I mock almost everybody," Jolrael said honestly. "Except Luna Inverse, tried that once, didn't turn out too well. Now shall we find one of your mages or do we have to tell every bleeding high elf individually that you've surrendered." Fimore just glared at him.   
  
  
  
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	27. Martina’s Fall

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Martina's Fall  
  
  
  
"You're our creator?" Xina gasped.  
"Yes," the blonde woman smirked, until a straight bolt of blue lightning struck the gray non-ground next to her. L-Sama glanced at where the lightning struck and sweated. Xina and Xalan edged close enough to see writing as the gray swirled around the writing. "That's odd, usually it's yellow."  
"What's it say?" Xalan asked.  
"'In a manner of speaking'" L-Sama read aloud. Her eyes narrowed as she considered something. "If I didn't know better..." The sound of another lightning bolt carried through the strange realm along with a shocked scream.  
"What was that?" Xina asked nervously staring at the creator of her world.  
"A white-haired joker." L-Sama smirked, crossing her arms as she stood up.  
"Uh, Okay," Xina said setting her father's staff across her shoulders and wrapping her arms around it.  
"No snappy quips?" L-Sama didn't seem to be in pain, despite the steady flow of golden blood from her body. "No superior, secretive smiles? A little nervous in front of the Lord of Nightmares. Though even your father was appropriately cowed before me." The blonde laughed. ~Until he died and became a real pain.~  
"Is there anyway you can um, send us back home?"  
"There's something I want you to do for me first," L-sama said softly with a hint of a teasingly cute whine. Xina and Xalan sweatdropped as the woman smirked and giggled.  
"You have to ask us?" Xalan said blinking.  
"No, I can force you to do pretty much anything I want you to do," L-Sama said. ~For the moment at least.~ "I just thought I'd have a little fun and try to convince you to do it. Or do you prefer to do it the hard way?" She smirked viciously at them. "I suppose I owe your father for this." She gestured at the bleeding hole.  
"I seem to remember the alternative being the destruction of all four universes," another voice put in. L-sama rolled her eyes at the new arrivals.  
"Dad!" Xina gasped. "This is..."  
"The Lord of Nightmares," Xellos nodded from his perch in the tree that was just suddenly there. "And she hasn't let up on that little scratch for the last twenty years."  
"That's our father?" Xalan asked. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Who's the woman?"  
"Why Xalan-san?" Amelia said sweetly. "Don't I remind you of anyone you know?"   
"Amethyst's mother?!" Xalan nearly shouted.  
"Is the other guy here somewhere?" Xina asked glancing around.  
"That's what we're here to talk about Xina-Chan," L-Sama smiled recovering from growling at Xellos. "Its part of that favor I was going to ask of you."  
"Oh?" Xina asked nervously.  
"You see there is this little battle going over the continued existence of the multi-verse," L-Sama said. "And I certainly agree with letting the multi-verse, and me coincidentally, continue existing. But since they choose my universe, me again, coincidentally, as their battleground, I feel I have to alter the plans just a little."  
"And what does that have to do with us?" Xalan asked. L-Sama smiled and gestured to the souls of the dead Slayers.  
"You're being sent to a battle you're expected to lose," Amelia informed them. "Sacrificed in the name of justice and all that is good in the world."  
~Definitely Amethyst's mother.~ Xina and Xalan thought in unison.  
"Which would be okay, if he were doing the sacrifice himself," Amelia clarified.  
"Instead of my family," Xellos said irritably. Everybody looked at L-Sama.  
"Hey," she shrugged, a little bored. "I just want to get a little bit of a revenge for setting this battle in my world."  
"So what are we going to do?" Xina asked, glancing at the three spirits.  
"We're going reroute the source of all things," L-Sama said casually.  
  
"AAAHH!!!" Martina blinked out of the charging chimera's way. "You little brat, you almost ruined my hair!" Martina shouted from her position a few dozen feet up in the air. She brought her hands together and black bands of what seemed to be dark lightning coruscated across her body before launching at the chimera dodging below.  
"In the name of all that is good I will take you down, monster!" Amethyst shouted, unaware that her mother's spirit was saying something similar at almost the exact same time. "Elmekia Lance!! Elmekia Lance!!" Martina cackled as the spirit blasts collided with a near-invisible shield.  
"You'll have to better than that, little girl," Martina sniped. "In a matter of moments Zangulus is going to recover, I doubt your pet dragon will recover in that time. I don't think you can handle me alone, much less me and my general." Black bands of lightning flashed out from the green-haired menace ripping up clouds of dust as they traveled across the ground converging on Amethyst.  
"Levitate!!" Amethyst shot into the sky and cut off the spell as she past the mazoku. She wanted to give a short speech, but she needed her voice for spell casting. The chimera pointed herself and her sword straight down at the floating mazoku. "BRAM BLAZER!!"  
"What do you think you are doing?" Martina asked as a blast of blue power and energy slammed into her. The mazoku was slammed into the ground shortly before her shield gave way. She irritably reformed herself into standing as she looked to where her opponent was still falling, descent momentarily halted by her spell. "AAAHHH!!!"  
Martina dodged out of the way of the blade and then growled at the chimera recovering from landing.  
"You almost cut my hair again!!" Martina snapped.  
"You mean like this?" Amethyst growled back. She snapped her hands together, sword temporarily embedded in the ground.  
"What do you think you are doing?" Martina asked again.  
"Bram Fang!" A blast of wind ripped past the mazoku's head. The demon felt something brush bast her skin and hesitantly reached a hand up to pat her bare head. She looked down to see her feet surrounded by green hairs which were rapidly dissipating into black energy.  
"You, you...you BITCH!!" Martina snapped. "Bram Fang!!" The mazoku stared as a non-pulsed chimera let the wind blow past her "hair." Both noticed that the magical wind didn't even shift the strands of wire.  
"Was that supposed to do something?" Amethyst asked dryly.  
"This isn't fair!!" Martina whined stomping her feet.  
"HA!! Justice is triumphant again!!" Amethyst declared loudly. "Elmekia Vine!!"   
The chimera slashed out with her sword again, irritated as Martina ducked under the swing. Then the now-bald mazoku whipped up and slammed a fist into the surprised chimera. Amethyst had about two seconds of uncontrolled flight to think about what her mistake had been before she landed hard on the ground.  
Amethyst was trying to shake her head clear when, and guage how far she had been thrown, when the wave of darkness ripped across the ground towards her. She whipped her arms forward and raised a field of power in front of the attack. The spell was easily overwhelmed and shattered, but Amethyst was already airborne by the time it had done so.  
The ivory-skinned girl reached a hand under her tunic to discover that her stone flesh had actually cracked. She was even bruising a little. The princess swallowed and wondered what might have happened if Martina possessed a brain and knew how to do more than just randomly lash out. Speaking of the mazoku, Amethyst barely dropped out of the way as she felt the demon materialize behind her.  
A blast of dark fire ripped over her head as she landed. Amethyst's response was a fireball into the loudly cackling demon. The chimera painfully sprinted across the battle field again trying to buy time and space while Martina was distracted by the fireball. She glanced at the stunned combatants and noted that Zangulus was moving, Martina was right, and soon she'd have to deal with two of these monsters.  
"Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite." Amethyst brought her hands together as she quickly began chanting.   
"Just one fireball, you little brat?" Martina snapped. "Lina would have used at least three."  
"Everlasting flame of blue, let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the Infinite..."  
"What do you think you are doing?"  
"RA-TILT!" The spiritual blast struck Martina and the mazoku screamed in pain and rage as she dropped to the ground. Amethyst didn't bother to watch, she knew the Ra-Tilt wasn't powerful enough to do more than delay Martina. It was enough of a delay, however, to cast a spell she doubted that anyone would even suspect that she knew.  
"Darkness from twilight, crimson from blood that flows;" Amethyst chanted quietly and calmly.  
"THAT HURT!!!" Martina gasped as she wobbily stood up, a thin stream of black energy bleeding into the air around her. She shook her head out as she glanced about and tried to fix on that annoyingly familiar buzzing sound she was hearing.  
"Buried in the flow of time; in Thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness!"  
"Hey, I've heard that before," Martina noted curiously. She finally found Amethyst and cackled as she saw Amethyst gathering powering. "What do you think you are doing?" One would think that Martina would learn to stop asking that and just attack, but, oh well.  
"Those who oppose us shall be destroyed by the power you and I possess! DRAGU SLAVE!!"  
"SHIMATTA!!" Martina managed as she finally recognized the spell, by virtue of seeing it wave over her in its characteristicly destructive manner. "ZOMALGUSTAR WILL YET PREVAAAAILLL!!" Martina assured Amethyst as the chimera's spell destroyed her completely.  
Amethyst tried to turn to face where she knew Zangulus was about to rise and slumped to her knees instead. She managed a glance at the stunned pair before exhaustion and injury took command and Amethyst slipped into unconsciousness.   
  
  
  
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	28. Angels, Goddesses, and Mortals

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Angels, Goddesses, and Mortals  
  
  
  
Xina looked about as the grayness began to fade away in the face of their enemy.   
L-sama had told her this would happen, that she would have to cross over astral   
realms formed by this Michael Osano-Wo person that was out to destroy the   
universe. She gathered shadow about her and crept through the ever more stormy terrain.   
  
The fox girl felt naked without the behir-scale armor she had "borrowed" from her mother. If all went according to plan, as the shade next to her pointed out, she wouldn't be the one to need it, but still, had been more than a year since she had been without it.   
  
"So where is this 'source' and how do we move it," Xina demanded quietly   
slipping along the barren, war torn land that was forming around her.   
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu," her partner said simply.   
  
"Amelia-san," Xina sighed. "You've been hanging around my father too long."   
  
"You could be right," Amelia admitted, shrugging. The sky above them suddenly broke into great crack of thunder. Then it was as if the sky were cut open and a sea fell through, the entire manufactured terrain was innudated with rain.   
  
"I think he's here," Xina said swallowing. She glanced about looking for motion in the sudden darkness.   
  
Xina had never been in a darkness that she could not see through, even   
now, but it was not the darkness that impaired her vision. It was the constant,   
abrupt and powerful white flashes of lightning that glared out all features. There   
was nothing to smell, as usual in this world, and the thunder did a good job of   
ruining her hearing. She couldn't even locate the moon. There was none, and that   
was the most disturbing thing about this place.   
  
"How do we know when he sees us anyway?" Xina asked.   
  
The fox-girl's answer came in the form of a thick bolt of lightning that   
struck nearly on top of her. She yelped as she bounced away from the point of   
explosion and turned to look at Amelia who hadn't seemed to worried.   
  
"I'd say he sees us," Amelia said. "Now we can put this monster down and see that the cause of justice is served."   
  
"Says the woman who's already dead," Xina muttered. The fox-girl glanced   
about, crouched low in a bit of self-made shadow and nearly hugging the ground.   
At first she could discern nothing, and then the lightning let up for a brief moment   
and she identified the humanoid form standing several yards away.   
  
"This is what the Angel of Death sends against me," a voice roared,   
seeming almost thunder itself. "A dead soul and a mortal child. The fool always   
was far too enamored of you pathetic little pests."   
  
"So now what?" Xina asked.   
  
"You're Xellos's daughter, and you're asking me what to do," Amelia said,   
surprised. "You need to get him to open show the Waste."   
  
"Yeah, okay, and how do I..." Xina paused a moment, then shrugged.   
"Worth a try. If we're such pathetic little pests, why the flaming light show!"   
  
"You're right, demon-spawn," a quieter, but not much quieter, voice said as   
the storm seemed to split around Amelia and Xina. She turned to see an   
impressive warrior standing at the edge of the storm's new eye. The man's silver   
armor was etched in a lightning design and he carried a great spear formed of some   
radiant yellowish material. The man's hair was an electric, gleaming blue and   
silver. He stood head and shoulders taller than Xina, looking down at her from a   
cloud-pale face.  
  
  
  
The only thing dark about the man was his expression. He appeared to be,   
of all things, bored. He stood still and inactive seemingly more out of having   
nothing to do than because he was stoic. His lip was curled in a derisive sneer as   
he looked over what he considered to be a creature of darkness.   
  
Xina's ears flicked lightly as she was distracted from Michael Osano-Wo's   
arrival by what she thought was the moon. The strange thing was, that it seemed to   
be on the same level as she was. It was moving, to, stalking in the rain. Suddenly   
she knew what it was she was sensing and immediately turned her thoughts away   
it, focusing on her enemy.   
  
"There is no need to be afraid of you two," the warrior of light said   
humorlessly. "An unfettered soul might be indestructible, but you're hardly more   
than a talking image so that does not matter. You can simply have the privilidge of   
watching me destroy my enemies. For a short time at least, it might take me   
millennia to finish this sortie."   
  
"This what?" Xina blinked. The shimmering man put his face into his hand   
and shook his head.   
  
"He means a battle, dear," Amelia supplied.   
  
"Oh, okay," Xina nodded. "Just who are you fighting anyway? And what's   
it got to do with us?" The man rose his head and smiled evilly.   
  
"Behold!" he waved his hand and the window on the waste appeared, stuck   
into it was the Staff of Xellos. Where the Staff hung in midair the thin layer of   
energy about the window was dissipating, fading away. "The Vagabond locked   
this gateway well, all this effort to protect the monstrosities within. I have been   
forced to sacrifice my own sister to finally destroy those abominations. And I   
STILL had to bring aid from you insects."   
  
"That's the Waste right?" Xina asked, aware that the stalking form in the   
shadows was moving closer.   
  
"If your father hadn't locked the key in that staff, I'd al..." the Michael   
paused. "What? Oh yes, that's the Waste." He continued with his villian   
monologue.   
  
"Thanks!" Xina said cheerfully and zipped for the portal.   
  
"I haven't finished speaking yet!" the renegade angel roared and the thunder   
crackled off his body, streaming toward her. It never reached her, the blast was   
suddenly intercepted by a red-haired fox-man in a outfit of glittering blue armor.   
The lightning coruscated over the armor for a moment before fading into it as the   
armor's shine grew brighter.   
  
"Do what you have to do," Xalan snapped. "Light come forth!!" The   
blades of Xalan's claw flared to life, and continued to pull power from the ambient   
magic of the non-place.   
  
"You seek to battle light with light!" the Michael declared increduously.   
"You are a fool!" The "man" faded into a semi-humanoid form of bluish lightning   
as he charged for Xalan. Xalan barely dodged out of the way as the angel charged   
past him.   
  
Osano-Wo formed back into a man shortly after passing the kage-kitsune   
and slashed back with his spear. The claw of light reached up to black the   
haphazard strike and then descended again to block another. And the Michael was   
still just playing.   
  
"I will carve you into bite size pieces and then send your sister into the   
Waste that she seems so interested in," the snarling power declared as he pushed   
Xalan's skill and power.   
Xalan rolled to the side, and the Michael followed with his spear. As the white   
metal pierced through what he thought was Xalan, the kage-kitsune smirked,   
and passed harmlessly through the weapon.   
  
Osano-Wo was still trying to figure it out when another Xalan slashed a   
line of cuts across his side. They stung fiercely, but healed quickly enough. The   
renegade glanced about and suddenly realized that there were two fox-boys   
fighting him.   
  
"Xellos," the angel sneered. "You really are a pest." Neither of the Xalans   
moved to comment on the angel's discovery.   
  
******   
  
  
"What the hell do we do now?" Xina demanded standing by the Staff but not yet   
touching it.   
  
Amelia smiled serenly and turned away from Xina. A second portal   
opened up and Amelia could almost feel it calling for her to join it. Of course the   
Source would open for any unfettered soul considering joining its populace. It   
would also open for any newly dead soul, which direction had lain the Vagabond's   
plans.   
  
"Bring the Staff to the Source," Amelia shouted as she pulled away from   
the second portal. Darkness and light alike wafted from each window, or so it   
seemed. But as Xina considered Amelia's instructions she realized that was not the   
case.   
  
The darkness and light coming from the Source had substance, and she   
almost thought she heard a stream of voices. The Waste instead seemed to be   
sucking things in, leaving empty tears of black and white. She only hesitated a   
moment longer before taking the Staff.   
  
She pulled, and the Waste followed her. Had she glanced back she would   
have seen many great and distorted things struggling through the emptiness towards   
the opening window. Things that might once have had a recognizable shape, but   
were being pulled, stretched and torn by the vast non-existance of the Waste. Now   
all that remained were pain filled creatures of only semi-sentience and an   
incredible urge to destroy.   
  
Amelia threw her spirit body back as Xina charged, Staff pulling the portal   
behind her into a cone which further distorted the shapes of the monstrosities   
within. The Source flickered briefly as if to say "oh well" as it seemed the one that   
called it changed its mind. Then it flared as the thin border on the Waste opened   
and approached the shimmering and swirling light and darkness.  
  
**********  
  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!" Osano-Wo shouted, pausing in his futile attempt   
to strike the correct Xalan. The boy hadn't, couldn't cause any severe damage to   
him, but it was beginning to get like the stinging of an ant. Then he saw the other   
Metallium-Inverse child moving to pull the Waste into the Source.   
  
The prison, fashioned so long, was about to be ruined by that little pest.   
The beings thrown into the nothing weren't worth returning to the Source, they   
were all evil, traitors and demons. And they were HIS to fight and destroy!   
  
The angel blurred as he launched at Xina. No longer anything human, he   
was nothing but a surge of unidentifiable energy. The angel pulled short, however,   
when the ground around the girl and the portals erupted in a spray of golden liquid.   
The spray did not fall, forming a great liquid wall that shielded Xina from her   
attacker.   
  
"Stand not in my path, Fallen One," the words were not so much a voice as   
a sensation. "You were allowed to escape long ago, this time I shall do as I wished   
then and see you destroyed for your crimes."   
  
The mortals and spirits watched as the wall rippled in seeming amusment.   
Then the small eye of the storm was filled with whirling and diving ravens, on the   
edges could be seen the shapes and eyes of thousands of wolves staring at the lot of   
them.   
  
"And what of your crimes," the combined cawing of the ravens produced   
the words. "Murder does not apply to you?"   
  
"The Old Ones must be destroyed!!" the lightning spoke angrily. "Not   
shunted off to some place to be forgotten, or returned to the Source like anything   
else. That girl must be stopped!" The energy surged forward again, and   
surprisingly the wall gave way. The Lord of Nightmares pulling back and forming   
into a great pillar of liquid gold to watch the proceedings.  
  
*******  
  
  
"It is already too late," the words seemed to smile all on there own as everyone   
saw the Source reach out and grab the other end of the Staff.   
  
A stream of light and darkness of all shades and colors streamed over the   
Staff. It poured into the nothingness. Where Xina's hands held the Staff the   
Source flowed up through her as well, and passed on. She felt voices and faces   
passs through her mind like a river through a valley. Memories would be shown to   
her and then fade away, or stay. She saw worlds born and destroyed, races and   
species rise to power, and fall again. She saw the number forty-two and more   
besides.   
  
There was no sense of danger, but something bothered her. The Source,   
rolling into and filling the artificial prison of the Waste, seemed to roll over her   
and say "not your time" and pass on. She felt herself growing somehow.   
  
******  
  
  
"NO!!! Blasphemey, they shall be born again now!" The words shook everything   
like a roll of thunder, the mortals and dead souls were rocked back, while the other   
two powers seemed to wince. Almost as if they had heard a discordant note.   
  
There was no indication in the cloud of energy that was Osano-Wo that the   
Michael was pressing the attack, but Xalan knew he was regardless of that. Some   
hunter's instinct told him, and another instinct sent him to act. The claws of light   
didn't seem to do anything against the Angel of War, but then, Xalan remembered   
how his mother had defeated Shabrinigdo. As the kage-kitsune charged,   
wrapping himself in shadow and sending the power into the claws. As he neared   
Osano-wo his gift of empathic combat sent him a clear picture rather a mere   
impulse, it was the first time he could remember ever experiencing it as such.   
Before he had always just known what to do.   
  
A darkness wrapped kage-kitsune leaped between a shocked Angel and his   
sister, and then launched himself upwards. The blackening claw blades leading as   
he made himself the shaft of one large spear.   
  
There was a great wordless crack and the darkness began to bleed through   
the struck angel. As the angel seemed to shift in order to remove the now deadly   
prong in its form, the ravens and golden pillar just fell upon it. Xalan was caught   
in the middle holding the blades in the angel and letting the claws pull power, as   
two other powers through themselves about in the battle.   
  
The essence of Osano-wo's power was spread through the Sea of Chaos   
like electricity, and drowned. Or else it was caught by a raven and devoured.   
What was left was pulled through the claws of light into Xalan as the   
kage-kitsune's darkness, empowered by a piece of a Great Dark Lord, spread slowly   
and poisonously through the renegade angel.   
  
None of the three came away unharmed. The ground was littered with the   
corpses of ravens and a thin Golden mist seemed to be rising from the portion of   
the Sea of Chaos that L-Sama had brought to manifest in.   
  
In the four worlds of the Lord of Nightmares, the inhabited portions of   
deep space saw great upheavel. In several thousand years, when the light reached   
them, the people of Xina's home would watch in wonder as the stars winked off   
and on throughout the sky and whole constellations were destroyed or created.   
Several thousand years after that there the destruction would reach some of the   
more populated systems, by then there would be ways to turn aside most of the   
damage from people.   
  
The distraction of the Angel of Death and the Spirit of Storm was more   
immediate. It was also spread across the multiverse, if effecting no single universe   
as much as L-Sama's the mass effect coming to the same. Storms arose and calmed   
at random, people died and their spirits lingered. Worlds that had been free of   
undead for millenia were suddenly deluged. In other cases people who should have   
died, lived...on and on and on.   
  
Xalan, being mortal was paid the least attention to, but he had been forced   
to the his knees and seemed to be sweating towards dehydration. A black glow,   
streaked with silver was growing around him, as a similar but reveresed glow grew   
around his sister.  
  
*******  
  
  
As the renegade angel was brought low, Xina became aware of the misshapen   
things of the Waste being overwhelmed by the Source, subsumed, healed. The   
insanity of eons of imprisonment washed out of them. And she saw it all in flashes   
as each soul joined the river.   
  
Then she became aware of something else. She felt the moon, and,   
somehow, it was her, and her brother. Xina's eyes popped wide as she worked for a   
brief moment to soothe the roiled uncontrolled waves of power that were the   
radiance of all moons across time and space. Then a memory flickered across her   
consciousness.   
  
"Left behind all that I knew to shape and serve the universe..." She didn't   
know which of the endless stream of souls had said that, but didn't care, she got the   
gist of it. She had an image, a remembered dream of rising ever higher than Val,   
and realized what was happening.   
  
"NO!!! I'm not ready to leave yet!!" Xina let go of the staff and stumbled   
backward as the glow about her faded. "XALAN!! LET GO OF IT!!" Already her   
words were on the edge of that non-voice the powers had used, but her words   
returned to mortal limits by the end of her shout.   
  
Xalan hesitated only a moment before obeying the shouted plea. He pulled   
away and the glow about him faded away as well. He suddenly felt as if he were   
shrinking, but as far as he could tell his body wasn't changing.   
  
The kage-kitsune staggered back and stared at his sister across the swirling   
portals, already indistinguishable from each other. She breathed a sigh of relief   
and watched as the wolves from the storm, already dying to nothing, swarmed over   
the Angel of War as he forced into humanoid form again. He screamed once and   
fell.   
  
The Source reached for the dead Michael's spirit and accepted him in as the   
despairing spirit didn't even consider staying. All saw a feminine face form out of   
the vanishing portal and mouth the words goodbye, seemingly at the wolves and   
ravens, before the portal vanished.   
  
The Staff of Xellos hung in mid-air a few seconds afterwards before it   
clattered to the ground of the non-place.   
  
"I think its over," Xina said.  
  
  
  
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	29. Rebirth

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Rebirth  
  
  
  
  
The battlefield was covered in an unnatural snowstorm and thousands of minor   
mazoku, enough that even Luna was kept busy.   
  
"I hate having to run," Sherra grumbled. She dodged aside as another   
minor demon attempted to cut her in half. She glanced up at the sky, well into   
afternoon, but nowhere near nightfall yet.   
  
At least the general battle hadn't moved toward them yet. Two years ago   
she wouldn't have considered that a good thing. Of course she had still been   
mazoku then, and hadn't been a magicless, defenseless mortal if the sky was light.   
And there was only so much protection Duofolger could give her.   
  
"We can leave," Duofolger reminded her.   
BR> "And let something get back to Dynast that I'm alive!" Sherra shouted. "No   
thanks!"   
  
"That's what I thought," Duofolger smirked as he casually swatted away a   
pair of the minor demons. Sherra growled angrily as she continued to maneuver so   
that Duofolger was between her and Dynast's minions.   
  
Lina leapt backwards away from the onrushing demons. She bared her   
fangs and snarled threateningly. The day was wearing on, and the effort of keeping   
the fourth aspect outside of the full moon all that time was beginning to work on   
her. At least the elves were scattered about and not putting up much of a fight.   
  
The mazoku hordes, however, were causing a problem. As it was, only   
Luna was breezing through the battle. She might turn out to be the only thing that   
did survive if things kept up. Of course Lina currently simplified this to: "getting   
tired, sister doing well." The werefox was still mostly interested in killing as many   
enemies as she could.   
  
Two charging ice demons were engulfed in a magical fire as Lina prepared   
to rip them to shreds. The woman in beast form nearly attacked as she recognized   
the smell of her rescuer. Instead she merely growled.   
  
"I suppose you'll likely never trust me," Zelgadis sighed saddly. "But we do   
have mutual enemies to consider before we do anything." The werefox growled   
again, but seemed to be agreeing as she turned away from him back to the battle.   
The almost neverending hordes of demons continued to attack.   
  
*******   
  
  
"Hey!" Jol shouted, indicating a high-elf wizard. "Get over here." The elf mage   
found himself moving toward the young swordsman almost before he was aware of   
the order.   
  
"What do you want?! Hu..." the wizard quit talking as he saw the form of   
his lord looking defeated and lowly.   
"Your Lord has surrendered, I need you to pass the message on," Jol explained.   
"Or would you rather we hack each other to pieces and save the demons some   
time?"   
  
"My lord?" the wizard asked, in shock.   
  
"Do as he commands," the fallen Elf Lord agreed. "The battle is over...for   
now." He glared at Jol. Reluctantly, the wizard cast the spell, and the sound of the   
Elf Lord's voice rang over the battlefield.   
  
"I, Lord Fimore of House Feanor, declare surrender to the forces of Sailoon   
and the trai.." Fimore winced and glared at Jolrael again. "The wood elves, all   
high-elves are to concentrate on defeating the forces of Dynast." Fimore closed his   
mouth and refused to continue.   
  
He would not have been able to get anything across the spell in the next   
moment anyway. As, across all four of L-Sama's worlds, the power of the Lord of   
Nightmares failed for a brief instant. A result of her distraction in the battle with   
Osano-Wo.   
  
The most powerful beings felt it coming. Deep Sea Dolphin, on one of her   
rare landfalls, made a rushing desperate run back to her ocean. Luna Inverse made   
for the ground, cutting off her levitate spell before it could cut off on its own.   
Dynast could do nothing but wait for it to happen.   
  
Then all the demons collapsed and starting gasping for breath. Filia   
dropped from the sky, roaring as pain shot through her skull. Across the world   
other demons were doing likewise, Val, on Wolf Pack Island, snapped awake to the   
blinding pain.   
  
Sorcerers, Shaman and Priests across the world found their powers failing   
for a brief instant. Luna, prepared for the event, still found herself relatively   
defenseless as a thrashing demon knocked her back against a tree. Without the   
layers of magical toughening and protection she normally possessed, Luna dropped   
to the ground gasping in pain.   
  
"Pull her back, if the magic returns we'll need her!" someone shouted and   
Luna felt herself carried off by a swarm of hands. Behind the demons continued   
thrashing.   
  
*******   
  
  
As the effects of L-Sama's battle and distraction rose and faded, another power,   
  
long unstable, began to settle into control. The settling was not permanent,   
but it was widespread, and the brief attempt at repair Xina, before denying   
immortality, had made would extend for centuries more.   
  
Of the beings in the battle, only five remained who could feel that shift. It   
only made much of difference for two of those individuals.   
  
As the disruption of L-sama's magic faded away and returned to normal,   
Lina felt a sensation of power enter her. The werefox dropped to her second aspect   
in surprise and glanced at where Zelgadis was rising to his feet. For the space of   
the disturbance he had found himself much to heavy to move .   
  
At first Lina was not certain that she was indeed feeling it. She glanced at   
the demons trying to shake their heads clear of the pain. She needed to try   
something to make sure.   
  
*******   
  
  
Sherra was carrying Duofolger away from the thrashing demon, moving at a run,   
when the feeling hit hair. It was like something rabid throughout her body was   
tamed, and made merely wild. Along with the calming she felt the return of a   
familiar and comforting presence.   
  
"L-Sama," Sherra breathed out. "I thought I was lost." She could feel that   
other wild power as well, and reached for it. Instantly she felt stronger and faster,   
as her bare feet shifted into fox paws and she was again a blue-furred fox-girl. She   
didn't know quite how she had done it, she only knew that it should not have been   
so easy.   
  
"I can walk now," Duofolger said dryly.   
  
"Hmph," Sherra stopped and dropped him behind her. "Say something   
earlier next time!" She demanded, Duofolger simply shook his head in amused   
disbelief. Sherra's childish attitude seemed to resist any attempt at change.   
  
They didn't have much more time as the ice demons found them again.   
The demons weren't prepared for two fighters, and found Sherra's claws a rude   
surprise. They were in for another as Sherra cast her first experimental spell.   
  
*******   
  
  
"You cast a spell!" Zelgadis shouted. "How is that possible!?"   
  
"The moon's power suddenly came under control!" Lina said in a low   
growling tone of voice as the demon she had pegged with a flare arrow shrugged.   
Zelgadis glanced at her and recognized the vicious smile, made even more   
frightening by her second aspect's fangs and bestial furred features.   
  
"Pathetic little shapechanger," the demon growled as its fellows lined up   
behind it. "You think a mere flare arrow will stop us!?"   
  
"No, I have something else in mind," Lina smirked. "I can take a lot more   
punishment now, I wonder if that translates into how much power I can draw."   
  
"Even Luna Inverse has fallen in the disturbance," the demon growled, Lina   
yelped in surprise and then narrowed her eyes in anger and rage. "Her power has   
not yet returned. Without her, you shall die. Who are you that would prevent   
this?"   
  
"I am Lina Inverse," Lina answered calmly as she started casting.   
  
Zelgadis backed away as he recognized the spell that Lina was casting and   
then watched as the Dra Matta was reborn with a crackling black sword in hand.   
  
  
  
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	30. Return

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Return  
  
  
  
  
Xina watched as the golden liquid formed into a blonde woman and the ravens   
and wolves formed into a dark, cloaked man. The man was somewhat familiar, but   
she couldn't quite place him, something about the trumpet hanging off of his belt.   
Neither of the two powers looked in perfect condition, L-sama herself immediately   
took a chance to lounge back into a couch that had appeared out of nowhere.   
  
"You survived," the cloaked man said. He glanced at the Lord of   
Nightmares. "How unlikely."   
  
"You didn't think we were just going to throw our lives away, did you!"   
Xina demanded.   
  
"There are some things that you just do not do!" Amelia lectured angrily.   
"What makes you any different that beast? You don't seem to care any more about   
us than he did." Xellos merely arched an eyebrow.   
  
"Finally, someone changed the Vagabond's plans," L-Sama laughed.   
"Looks like nobody's perfect after all."   
  
"As you wish," the Vagabond shrugged. "Enjoy your victory, all of them,   
you've certainly earned it." He turned to Xina and Xalan, "I hope you enjoy your   
lives." Then the man exploded into a cloud of ravens and flew away vanishing into   
the grayness.   
  
~Changed his plans,~ Xellos thought shaking his head inquisitively. ~I do   
believe that he wasn't the slightest bit surprised by the way things happened.~   
  
"He always was a sore loser," L-Sama smirked. "Even when he wins."   
  
"And what do we do now?" Xina asked.   
  
"What do you mean?" L-Sama asked.   
  
"How do we get home?" Xalan clarified.   
  
"I could just leave you here," L-Sama noted. "Little-ones, and let you figure   
it out on your own."   
  
"Please Lord of Nightmares," Amelia pleaded. "Their place is not here."   
  
"Not yet, perhaps," L-Sama smirked, and Xina swallowed nervously as she   
thought that through. "But neither is yours. The Vagabond didn't hang around to   
do his job, I might as well fill in for the moment."   
  
"In other words," Xellos said. "Her and I pass on, and you'll show them   
how to go home."   
  
"If that's the deal you want," L-Sama said smuggly.   
  
"NO!" Xina snapped angrily.   
  
"What do you care, little-one," L-Sama asked. "They're both already dead,   
hanging around her isn't doing them any good."   
  
"It isn't doing us any harm, either," Amelia insisted. Then she sighed and   
shrugged. "But you're right we should leave."   
  
"But you can't leave," Xina pleaded. "I just found my father! I'm not losing   
him already!"   
  
"We need to go back home," Xalan said quietly. "Martina and Zangulus   
still remain, and the elves."   
  
"Yes, your friends need the help," L-Sama smirked, it wasn't quite true, of   
the threats Xalan had listed, only Zangulus remained. "And would you deny your   
father his proper rest simply because your a spoiled little girl who isn't satisfied   
with her mother."   
  
"My mother is a great person," Xina growled, Xalan behind her nodded.   
  
"Be happy with that," L-Sama insisted. "Everything must end, eventually.   
And Xellos does not belong here, neither does Amelia!"   
  
"We shall go," Xellos agreed finally. "I shall at least, once I know my   
family is safe." Amelia glanced at him and nodded reluctantly.   
  
"I agree to that as well," Amelia said.   
  
"Why can't we all just go home?" Xina asked quietly. "We just saved the   
universe here."   
  
"We all are," L-Sama smirked. "But not all of us have the same home."   
Xalan stared at the creator of his world and gripped his sister's shoulder. The   
female Metallium sighed and rushed forward to hug her father, bursting into tears   
as she passed through him.   
  
"Don't worry, Xina-chan," Xellos said quietly to his kneeling daughter.   
"I'm sure we'll see each other again. Everything comes back, eventually." L-Sama   
snorted while Xina wearily nodded.   
  
"Tell my daughter that I love her, and am proud of her," Amelia said. "And   
tell her father that it wasn't his fault I died. I knew it was likely and I still let it   
happen."   
  
"Yes, stone-boy has a habit of taking too much on himself," Xellos agreed.   
"Tell Lina, that I've never left her, and never will."   
  
"I don't see how that's possible," L-Sama added, a little sarcastically. Xina   
glared at L-Sama's comment but nodded at her father.   
  
"Take care of your sister," Xellos said to Xalan. "You certainly have   
experience at that."   
  
"It seems as such...father," Xalan answered back, suspicion of this spirit   
long gone. Xellos smiled and turned toward L-Sama.   
  
"Are we ready then?" the goddess asked.   
  
"Yes," Xina said quietly, wiping the tears from her eyes and joining her   
brother.   
  
"Take that staff," L-Sama gestured. Xina glanced at her father's staff and   
nodded. "Good, now both of you hold it."   
  
"How long is this going to take?" Xina demanded, when suddenly they   
were back on Wolf Pack Island. "Oh."   
  
"Amethyst!" Xalan shouted and pointed to where the chimera princess had   
collapsed in exhaustion. Xina glanced around and saw Val shaking his head clear   
across the way, but no sign of either mazoku. Suddenly she smelled one of the   
demons.   
  
"XALAN!!" Xina shouted out whipping around. Xina watched Zangulus   
materialize next to, and then toss Xalan across the field to land hard into the   
ground. Then the mazoku was charging her.   
  
"You BRATS!!!" Zangulus yelled. "You bestial little bitch!! You all killed   
her!!" The blade of darkness appeared in his hand as he closed the distance   
between them. Xina backed away, exhausted from the experience of the Source   
flowing through her, still somewhat bereaved and in shock from losing her father.   
She rose a field of force in front of her, but was not confident as to its   
effectiveness. Xina had never had good luck with Zangulus. This time everybody   
else seemed to be out of action all ready.   
  
Xina was about to resign herself to joining her father, when a great,   
black-scaled shape whipped by and tore the mazoku out of its path. Zangulus   
teleported before he could be torn to pieces and faced Val.   
  
"Fine," Zangulus growled. "She can watch you die first."   
  
*******   
  
  
"Well," L-Sama tapped her foot.   
  
"We said we'd go when our families were safe," Xellos reminded the   
goddess with a smirk. "They aren't safe yet."   
  
"That mazoku could still kill them, or they could get a nasty rash or   
something," Amelia added. L-Sama glanced between them and narrowed her eyes.   
  
"That's not funny," she said. "She's been listening to you to much."   
  
"Don't worry about us," Xellos said. "We shall go as agreed."   
  
"It wouldn't be just to do other wise," Amelia added. *******   
  
"I'm not the one dying here," Val roared out. The dragon reared back and   
unleashed a blast of power at the levitating mazoku. The former bounty hunter   
dodged out of the path and found himself being swiped by a great black tail.   
  
"You'll have to do better than that!" Zangulus roared. A wave of darkness   
rolled out from the mazoku to attack the dragon, it cascaded outward into the sky   
harmlessly. Zangulus slashed his sword out to send another attack, however, and   
another. Val dodged each one and continously closed distance with his opponent.   
  
Zangulus laughed madly as he continued to try and destroy those that   
finally killed his love and mistress. All would die, all had to die. He didn't bother   
to look behind him at his shadow.   
  
Briefly Zangulus felt Xina behind him, and swung out with his sword, but   
found nothing. Angriliy believing it to be a distraction of some kind he turned his   
attention back to the dragon that had used the brief moment of inattention to   
prepare another blast of laser breath.   
  
Zangulus smirked and prepared to teleport, when suddenly a large chunk of   
his body justed ripped away from him. Followed by another and another.   
Zangulus looked around frantically for any sign of an attacker as he was torn to   
pieces. Finally his eyes caught sight of his shadow, and the shadow arms that were   
tearing it into pieces.   
  
"Get out of my...!!" Whatever Zangulus had been about to say was   
obliterated as Val's laser breath washed over him. As the dragon's blast completely   
destroyed the mazoku, Xina found herself forcefully ejected from a shadow that no   
longer existed. The kage-kitsune quickly and desperately rolled away from the   
blast of power Val had launched and was satisfied to only be singed as she came to   
a rest.   
  
Val landed lightly beside her and shifted into human form, unconcerned   
with his state of dress.   
  
"Xina! Are you okay!" he asked concerned. "I didn't see you...*" Val   
stopped as Xina whirled around, hugged him, and started crying freely. He   
hesitantly hugged her back and patted her head supportively. He glanced to where   
Xalan was coming around from being knocked unconscious by Zangulus.   
  
"Val?" Xina said quietly. The dragon looked down and was surprised as   
the purple-haired girl suddenly reached up and kissed him. After his initial surprise   
he began to return the embrace, unmindful of what Xalan probably thought as the   
other kage-kitsune saw them. After an indeterminate amount of time she pulled   
back and buried her head in his shoulders.   
  
"Please don't ever leave me," Xina said quietly.   
  
"I won't," he answered in response, as Xina, crying softly again, fell asleep   
in his lap.   
  
  
  
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	31. Aftermath

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Aftermath  
  
  
  
Xalan shook his head a clear and glanced to where Val was holding a weeping Xina, neither Zangulus nor Martina were anywere to be seen. For once his gaze passed right by them to find Amethyst again. He moved to the chimera's side and was relieved to hear her heart beating, he hadn't relished trying to find a pulse through stone skin, however flexible it seemed.  
"Amethyst," he asked desperately. Xalan took a sniff of her scent. He mostly smelled sweat, a rather muddy smell when it came from Amethyst. There was a little blood, but not much. That wasn't really telling, most of Amethyst's injuries would be internal, if they came at all. There was a lingering scent of rage and grief about her, faded probably since she faded. Overall it mostly smelled like she was exhausted and had fainted from over-exertion.  
Amethyst blinked her eyes open and squinted up at Xalan.  
"Xalan-san?" she asked wearily.  
"It's me," Xalan said.  
"Am I dead?" Amethyst asked, then she winced and felt at her side where Martina had punched her. "Oww, never mind." Xalan smirked. "I guess we won?" Xalan glanced at his sister, working to ignore Val's unclothed state at the moment, and considered the father he had met for a brief period of time, had a sense of loss. Xina had actually been talking to him over the last year or so and she obviously felt much worse.  
"Mostly we won," he told her.  
"We had Justice on our side," Amethyst said wryly. "How could we lose?"  
"How badly are you hurt?" he asked, ever practical. He did reach to brush at her bangs, and was surprised when she stopped him.  
"Don't do that," she said, smiling. "You have no idea how hard it is to brush hair made out of steel. I'm just tired...a sleep will do...wonders..." She drifted off back into unconsciousness, a legitimate sleep rather than a faint this time. Xalan smiled and glanced back to where Xina's crying had subsided.  
"Xina, are you okay?" his sister took a deep breath and nodded quietly, it was odd to see her responded without talking. "Good, then maybe you can let Val get dressed." Xina scowled at her red-haired brother.  
"Xalan," she growled, ignoring Val's amused chuckle.   
  
********  
  
An ocean and two continents away an army of mazoku were learning that the chief difference between dealing with Luna and Lina Inverse was not that Luna was much more powerful than her sister. The main problem was that Lina Inverse when she had her magic, was so much more willing to use the power she did have. Granted she had calmed down over the last twenty years, so given a normal circumstance it probably wouldn't be much more different than dealing with Luna. However, she had just suddenly regaining magic after twenty years and was worried that her children were in trouble (not to mention her sister, though it would be doubtful that she'd admit that). Considering that situation Lina was...well...Lina.  
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Lina laughing in second aspect is a truly terrifying sight.   
A trio of mazoku dissipated into nothing as the Laguna Blade passed through them.   
"You think you can come to my home and get away with it?" Lina demanded, letting her blade of darkness dissipate as she readied another barrage of fire spells. She was wearing out, it was obvious as she paused to catch her breath. This was the third Laguna Blade she had cast in the hour, and she just didn't heal that fast. Fortunately she was running out of targets as well.  
An explosion from the side attracted Lina's attention as some of the targets were taken.  
"DIE!DIE!DIE!" A blue and silver furred werefox ran by slashing at whatever mazoku she could reach, smiling viciously. "FIRE BALL!!!" The mazoku Sherra was chasing exploded in a shower of black energy. She paused, and glanced around, fur matted close to her face by sweat. Lina watched an ice demon materialize behind Sherra.  
"Hey!" Lina shouted to warn the girl and then shrugged as Duofolger calmly appeared behind Sherra, shifting out of the astral plane, to rip the mazoku apart. Lina shrugged and wiped her forehead dry. "Nevermind. Does she even know that someone is watching her back, hmm blue-boy?"  
"Aren't you pushing yourself a little hard?" Zelgadis asked standing behind Lina, he had been watching Lina's back in a manner similar to Duofolger watching Sherra. Lina leaned over and coughed enter her hand, the blood faded into the red of her fur, but she could smell it. Granted it wasn't as noticeable a drain as when she'd still been human, but it was immense none the less.  
"I may have over done it," Lina admitted, reluctantly. "I think that's the last of them anyway, but I have someting else to do." She glanced over at Sherra and noticed the other werefox seemed a little wobbily, almost falling before Duofolger caught her. "Or maybe a couple of things."  
"I'm fine," Sherra insisted, wearily.  
"You're almost fainting," Lina noted idly as she looked over the other werefox. "If I'm getting tired, then I suppose you're almost completely exhausted."  
"Don't be stupid," Sherra snapped regaining her balance but leaning against Duofolger anyway. Lina blinked, not much concern for personal space between those two. Then again, for six hundred years they were inseperable. "I'm over six hundred years..."  
"And yet you are currently physically about sixteen," Duofolger put in. Sherra growled up at him and then snapped at his arm. "Ouch." Duofolger deadpanned, ignoring at the small swirling black energy of his "blood." The wound quickly healed right back up, however.  
"There isn't anything else to fight," Zelgadis pointed out dryly. Sherra turned toward him a moment and blinked.  
"Oh," she said sheepishly. "In that case." Sherra's eyes closed as she leaned back against Duofolger, and started snoring.  
"Is there a chance she'll grow out of this personality now that she's human?" Lina asked.  
"I hope not," Duofolger said smirking as he lifted the smaller fox-girl up.  
"You wouldn't know where my sister is, would you?" Lina asked.  
"I wasn't paying much attention when my mind felt like it was being ripped to pieces," the cold demon answered. "But she's not dead."  
"It shouldn't take long to find her," Zelgadis said. "Assuming we can get back to the regular ranks and organize a search. Order pretty much disintegrated when Luna and the mazoku dropped on us. Perhaps the soldier coming up behind us has some information."  
"You just noticed him?" Lina asked seriously, Zelgadis leveled a glance at her, clearly stating "of course not." As Lina returned the glare with one of her own, the soldier in question appeared pushing his way past the quickly melting snow.  
"Milord!!" The soldier shouted desperately. He stopped and starred at the werefoxes and mazoku for a moment. Zelgadis he was used to, but these other creatures and their allies were a whole other deal.  
"Spit it out," Zelgadis said irritably.  
"That dragon that crashed when all the magic left," he said breathlessly. "It's waking up! They sent me to inform you at once. What should we do?" Zelgadis rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration.  
"Get a mage to her and see if she needs healing," Zelgadis said shortly. "What else?"  
"Milord, it's a dra..."  
"She's a friend of mine," Zelgadis informed the soldier. "She used to travel with the Slayers, understand?"  
"Yes, milord," the soldier snapped obeidantly.  
"Do any of you pay attention to who's your ally?" Lina asked. She had known Filia had lived, the dragon wasn't as hard to find as her sister.  
"Is there anything else?" Zelgadis asked. ~Why are people so stupid?~  
"Some elves are holding out from surrendering," the soldier said, as if it wasn't important. "They have a hostage of some kind, saying something about a knight, but the only human we saw was a purple-haired woman. They expect us to trade their Lord for her." He said that as if it was funny.  
"What?" Lina narrowed her eyes and growled at the soldier. The man swallowed nervously and tried to look past the robe Lina was still in to see what was talking to him. "She's letting them hold her?"  
"Well, from what we could tell she was unconscious," the man said nervously. Suddenly Lina seemed to vanish from the robe she had been wearing, and a small red fox with a streak of silver was speeding across the ground, almost too fast to see.  
"Cut them off!" Zelgadis commanded. "Don't let them leave the battle field."  
"Milord?"  
"That's Luna Inverse, the Knight of Ceiphed!"   
  
  
  
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	32. Rescue

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Rescue  
  
  
  
  
Luna felt herself coming to, slowly, still a little dazed from the hit she had taken.   
It wouldn't take long for her to get her bearings, however, and then she would be   
back in the fight.   
  
She creaked open an eye in time to see a fist smash into her face and   
unconsciousness welled up in her again. Luna hadn't yet cleared her mind for   
much coherent thought, but she was damn sure that somebody was going to pay for   
that.   
  
"Keep her unconscious," one of the elves snapped as Luna shifted. "She's   
as powerful as any Darklord, if she wakes up we're all dead."   
  
"That's easier said than done!" one of them snapped. "We're basically   
trying to keep a god incapacitated here."   
  
"She has a human body," the first one said. "Without her conscious   
thought she is as vulnerable as anything else."   
  
An arrow thwacked off of their shield.   
  
"I wouldn't try anything else, or the woman dies," one of the guards   
shouted.   
"Release our Lord, and then you can have her back," another added.   
  
*******   
  
  
"Damn it, I said hold your fire until we get some magical support over here," the   
Sailoon army officer smacked the errant archer in the back of the head.   
  
"Why are we so concerned over some purple-haired trollop that was too   
stupid to get away from the battle?" one of the soldiers asked.   
  
"That's the difference between us and them I guess," the officer shrugged   
and added the thought. "Besides, the elves seem to think she's somebody important,   
so maybe she is."   
  
"That's total bunk," a soldier said. "Of what possible importance could she   
be?"   
  
"Didn't any of you notice a purple-haired sorceress wreaking havoc through   
the main body of demons?" someone behind them asked. They turned around to   
see a young man with a sword standing behind them, as if he had always been   
there.   
  
"We saw the explosions but we thought that perhaps the dragon had," the   
officer stopped himself as he realized that he was suddenly deferring to the young   
man. "Where did you come from anyway?"   
  
"The wood elf field hospital," Jolrael said, shrugging. "I was looking for   
some acquaintances of mine when I heard about this."   
  
"And just..." the officer started.   
  
"I'm Jolrael Gabriev," Jol answered deadpanning as he walked to where he   
could see the elves behind their magical field.   
  
"As in..."   
  
"Gourry Gabriev's son."   
  
"What are..."   
  
"Forcing an arrogant elf to call a surrender."   
  
"How..."   
  
"Do what?" Jolrael turned toward him and blinked innocently. The officer   
just stared.   
  
"If you know what's going on then..."   
  
"She's Luna Inverse," Jolrael said. The soldiers stared at him blankly.   
"The Knight of Ceipheed." More stares. Jolrael rubbed at the bridge of his nose   
and tried another tactic. "The older sister of Lina Inverse." Suddenly all eyes were   
riveted on the elves.   
  
"What is the educational standard of you people anyway?" Jolrael asked   
before turning toward the elves in their makeshift barricade.   
  
He was considering how to break through the spell shield when he caught   
sight of a ripple in the grass. Then there was a flash of red fur, streaked once by   
silver, and then there was just the ripple again.   
  
Jolrael smiled, maybe a distraction was all that was necessary.   
  
"I'll be right back," Jol said as started walking.   
  
*******   
  
  
"They still haven't answered us," one of the elves noted. "Don't they know who   
we have here?"   
  
"A human is moving out into the open," one of the guards noted. "He's   
dressed in elven garb." The last was said with a hint of distaste. The   
self-appointed leader came to their hastily erected barricade of wood to note the   
young man approaching them.   
  
"It's just a boy," the elf sneered. "Probably one of those upstart humans   
that live with the wood elves. Get out of the way boy, we're dealing with..."   
  
"You're trying to rescue that arrogant little fool of an elf, Fimore," Jol   
snapped off.   
  
"Who are you to say..."   
  
"Considering I'm the one that defeated him, I pretty certain I can say   
whatever I want about him," Jol said.   
  
"If you want to get this woman back in one piece," the elf insisted. "You   
will treat our Lord with the respect he deserves."   
  
"I thought that was what I was doing," Jol noted innocently.   
  
"I'll not listen to the prattle of a fool boy that claims to have defeated a true   
Elf Lord," the elf snapped. "Find someone with real authority to talk to us boy."   
  
"As you wish," Jol shrugged and started walking away. "That barrier only   
stops projectiles, doesn't it." The elf narrowed his eyes.   
  
"Why do you ask that?" he demanded evenly, shouting across the field.   
  
"No reason," Jolrael said, smirking. He turned around and walked back to   
the forest. As he came with in the concealment of the trees one of the soldiers   
turned to him, confused.   
  
"That's it?" Jol smiled at the man. Within a moment a cry of surprise and   
terror rang out from the elves' little position. It was cut off almost immediately.   
  
"Did I mention that I wasn't the only one out there?" Jol asked the man as   
the sounds of battle progressed.   
  
*******   
  
  
Lina paused a moment to stare at the sword currently rammed through her   
stomach and out her back. Then she looked up at the elf holding the sword and   
smiled.   
  
"What are you trying to do?" she asked. The elf stammered for a moment   
before the werefox changed form again. The blade shattered as she took the fourth   
aspect and stood, towering over the attacking elves.   
  
The elves backed off immediately, noting that the werefox wouldn't leave   
the unconscious form of their prisoner. If she was unwilling to leave the knight   
unguarded then she wouldn't follow them, and the werefox had no way to hit them   
from a range. At least so they thought.   
  
Lina shrank again to the fox-girl form of the second aspect and glared at   
the small group of elves encircling her and her sister. Her tail swished angrily and   
the fur of her body stood out on end. Some of the elves would have found the   
unclothed werefox quite beautiful, if she weren't so obviously intent on destroying   
them all.   
  
"I can handle this pest," the elven sorcerer declared. He gathered his hands   
together to draw power and then thrust outward. "FLARE ARROW!!"   
  
"Windy Shield," Lina sounded bored as she raised the spell and watched   
the fire arrow flitter into nothing in the wall of air.   
  
"How did you do that?" the elven sorcerer demanded. "You're a   
werecreature! You shouldn't be able to do that!"   
  
"Personally," Lina smirked. "I'd worry more about what I'm about to do   
than how I'm going to do it." Lina raised her hand, fangs bared in a vicious smile.   
"DUG HAUT!!" She whipped her arm around in a semi-circle and was pleased to   
see the elves around her decimated as a circle of spikes grew from the ground.   
  
*******   
  
  
"What the hell was that?" one of the soldiers asked as the spikes encircled the   
elves position.   
  
"They're fortifying their position!" the officer insisted. "Wait are those?"   
  
"The spikes came up through the elves!" Someone shouted. As he shouted   
the silent form of Zelgadis Greywords passed to the front of the ranks.   
  
"That's odd," he said. "Lina usually prefers fire." As he said that the spikes   
began exploding into fireballs. "Ahh, never mind."   
  
"Milord?" a soldier addressed Zelgadis nervously. "Did you say...Lina?"   
  
"Yes," Zelgadis agreed.   
  
"As in Inverse?" someone else asked.   
  
"Yes."   
  
"As in the dead Lina Inverse."   
  
"She's not quite dead yet," Zelgadis corrected them.   
  
"She's getting better," Jol added.   
  
*******   
  
  
And now for something not completely different.   
  
*******   
  
  
Luna felt the backlash of heat and slowly opened her eyes to look at the   
devastation around her. She quickly caught sight of her sister, naked again, tossing   
the last of a salvo of fireballs.   
  
"Get some clothes on, Lina," Luna grumbled as she sat up. "Where is the   
fool that hit me?"   
  
"He's somewhere in the barbeque," Lina answered back. "And have you   
tried keeping a wardrobe when you change size all the time?" She meant to sound   
defiant, but she wasn't that over her fear of the older Inverse yet. It came out   
sounding petulant.   
  
"That is no reason to be prancing around like a common tart," Luna   
insisted. "I see you regained your magic."   
  
"Great timing too," Lina said, then hesitated. "You were, well, captured   
and we needed some heavy magic."   
  
"Yes, I suppose thanks are in order," she said. "But first do something   
about your state of dress, I'm in good enough condition to handle any stragglers."   
  
"Okay, okay," Lina said grumbling. In moments there was a small red fox   
with a streak of silver running down from her head. She stared up at Luna with a   
"is this better" look on her face.   
  
"Good," she looked about to spot the few survivors of Lina's attacks. "I   
suppose the battle is over then."   
  
~Yeah,~ Lina thought, answering vocally with a small whuff. ~All that's   
left is waiting for my kids.~   
  
  
  
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	33. Epilogue

  
Slayers Bred  
  
  
  
Epilogue  
  
  
  
  
Xina leaned against Val's dragon head as the water passed beneath them. She   
glanced up and noted the coast appearing on the edge of the horizon. The   
purple-haired girl sat up and gripped the staff in her hand.   
  
"We're almost home," she said with a melancholy smile. She fondly   
reached down and scratched in between Val's thick scales. The dragon underneath   
her hummed appreciatively.   
  
"Now comes the hard part," Val added wryly. Xina hmphed frustratedly at   
the rumbling underneath her.   
  
"We just fought two mazoku and something else that was as powerful as   
L-Sama," Xina reminded him. "What's left to worry about?"   
  
"Our mothers," Val explained.   
  
"Uh...heh..." Xina sweatdropped. "Oh yeah."   
  
*******   
  
  
"What are you doing out here," Sylphiel asked politely. Jol turned to face her in   
mild surprise.   
  
"How do you and dad manage to sneak up on me?" Jolrael asked in   
frustrated curiousity   
  
"Well the elves think they have the monopoly on psychic awareness,"   
Sylphiel said. "But its not like there aren't magical counters for all that." She   
smiled serenely.   
  
"And what about dad?"   
  
"Don't ask me to explain your father to you," Sylphiel said waving her   
hand. "I can't even begin to count the number of times he's proven most of my   
assumptions wrong without trying to."   
  
"So I'm not the only one then?" Jol said. "That's a relief."   
  
"Personally I think he just likes playing dumb," Sylphiel said. "But you   
never answered my question. Will you be coming home after this?"   
  
"That wasn't what you asked before," he started.   
  
"Don't try to change the subject," Sylphiel insisted sternly. "Have you had   
your taste of adventure yet?"   
  
"I don't know," Jol shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."   
  
"Hmmm?" Sylphiel arched an eyebrow and stared at him.   
  
"It'll probably take a while to fix everything back home won't it," Jol said.   
  
"Yes, we'll probably have some left over hostilities," Sylphiel said sadly.   
"We'll probably be feeling the aftermath of all this well into the next human   
generation." She shook her head at the thought of it.   
  
"That sounds like it could be interesting," Jolrael said with a smirk.   
Sylphiel turned to him and blinked before smiling brightly.   
  
"It will be good to have you home," Sylphiel said. "And you won't even   
have to babysit Kyrie, unless you want to."   
  
"Mom, you are aware that Tinuviel has no idea of how to handle Kyrie,"   
Jol said wearily.   
  
"Well, I'm sure you wouldn't mind helping her then," Syphiel smiled   
serenely.   
  
"I guess I could," Jol said in response, smirking a little.   
  
*******  
  
  
"I'd like to know how she managed to get me to volunteer for this," Sherra   
grumbled. She leaned back against the mazoku. She was in human form, after her   
centuries she had kind of gotten used to it. Sherra wasn't at all certain about the   
streaks of silver running through her hair now either.   
  
"Actually, I believe you had to convince her to trust you," Duofolger   
reminded her.   
"No I didn't," Sherra insisted. "She tricked, she had to. Why would I want to do   
anything so boring as watch her forest?"   
  
"I believe you wanted some time to think about things away from   
everybody," Duofolger said. "A little peace and quiet."   
  
"You're doing this just to get a rise out of me," Sherra said. "Aren't you?"   
Duofolger smirked and ran his hand through the girl's blue hair.   
  
"Why would I want to do that," Duofolger asked. "We do need to talk   
about Dynast though, he'll discover you're alive eventually, if he hasn't already."   
  
"Not right now," Sherra sighed. "I just want to relax."   
  
"Yes, that's a very relaxed emotion you're feeling right now," Duofolger   
responded dryly.   
  
"Just as long as there's no commentary," she responded tartly, minorly   
annoyed that he'd pretty much killed her play at seduction. "Maybe then you'd stop   
treating me like a kid."   
  
"You really think so?"   
  
"I can always hope."   
  
*******   
  
  
"Any luck?" Val asked as he sat down next to Xina. The fox girl released her grip   
on the staff in her hands a little.   
  
"No," she admitted. "I can't even get there." She looked at the staff. "I   
think its burned out."   
  
"At least you got a chance to know him," Val said comfortingly as she   
leaned against him.   
  
"Yeah, I feel real lucky," Xina commented snidely. "Val, whatever you do,   
don't die immediately after we get married okay?"   
  
"I really don't think that's something I'd CHOOSE to do," Val added.   
  
"Which?" Xina asked levely.   
  
"The dying part," he answered quickly. Xina sat up quickly and turned to   
face the dragon, hopeful look on her face.   
  
"Then you would...umm...you know," she paused. "Marry me? Umm why   
are you staring at me like that?"   
  
"Because I'd expect you to try to seduce me before we got married," Val   
answered seriously, a moment before a staff whacked him on the head.   
  
"You know while Xalan was chasing around Mom's forest I was usually   
hanging around you right?" Xina snapped.   
  
"Yeah, so?" Val asked.   
  
"That means I've heard your mother's lecture on marriage I don't know how   
many times," Xina explained. "Somewhere I started thinking she had a good   
point."   
  
"I think it was cake she used to serve while giving the lecture," Val said.   
"Conditioning you know."   
  
"That could work," Xina said. "You know, there was something we were   
supposed to do out here."   
  
"'But I can't think of what it is'" Val mouthed along with the kage-kitsune.   
"Oh joy."   
  
*******   
  
  
"Lina-san, you are wearing a grove into the floor," Filia pointed out. "Quite   
literally." She indicated the line of claw marks in the stone floor.   
  
"It's Zelgadis's castle," Lina remarked irritably, shrugging her shoulders.   
Zelgadis arched an eyebrow. "What do I care?"   
  
"This is not going to get them home any sooner, Imoto-chan," Luna added   
cooly.   
  
Luna was having a generally annoying time. It seemed that when the snow   
thawed that her house had been flooded, and similar occurences throughout her   
town had caused similar results. The tavern had even taken more damage than it   
already had. To top it all off she was being referred to over and over again as "Lina   
Inverse's sister." She was beginning to understand why her younger sister had left   
to acquire a reputation outside of Zephilia.   
  
"They're fine," Filia insisted, more in the nature of convincing herself.   
  
"Otherwise we'd probably be gone right now," Zelgadis agreed.   
  
"Oh stop that," Lina snapped. "It was just Martina, mazoku or not my   
children can handle her." She waved her hand dismissively.   
  
"So what, pray tell, are you worried about?" Zelgadis asked.   
  
"What do you think?" Lina snapped. "My little girl is out there with   
that...dragon." Filia sat up and crossed her arms.   
  
"Meaning Val?" she asked. "As if he's the one the worry about."   
  
"I'm certain the guy that tried to destroy the world would respect a girl's   
virtue," Lina sniped. Filia stood up and leaned down into the werefox's face.   
  
"This coming from the woman that shacked up with a mazoku," Filia   
snapped back.   
  
"Don't you dare talk about Xellos!"   
  
"Don't you talk about my son!" Zelgadis began to stood up when he   
noticed Luna shaking her head.   
  
"Do you really want to get involved in that?" the Knight of Ceipheed asked.   
  
"Do you have any other idea that ends up with the castle intact?" Zelgadis   
asked seriously.   
  
"Yes," Luna cleared her throat and the two fighting women silenced before   
turning to face her. "Please sit down and be quiet." Filia and Lina both glared at   
each other once and then sat down, shooting nervous glances at Luna.   
  
"It isn't like they don't have a chaperone," Zelgadis added.   
  
"Yes, Greywyrds daughter did strike me as the responsible sort," Luna   
added.   
  
"Okay, yeah," Lina admitted slowly. "And Xalan is certainly not going to   
let anything get out of hand." Filia just remained quiet, not bothering to comment   
on how no one bothered to support Val.   
  
*******  
  
  
"If you had told me what we were supposed to be doing, we could have just   
found some firewood and then stared at the stars and cuddling for a couple of   
hours," Val reminded her briskly.   
  
The dragon was leaned over, almost horizontal, apparently carrying some   
heavy burden on his back. He was also trying ignore the fact that he was back in   
that pastel outfit. Xina walked next to him, happily carrying a decently large pile   
of firewood and sporting her mother's scale mail again.   
  
"Oh this was more fun, I like waiting to the last minute," Xina snapped.   
"So stow it flower boy." She would have jabbed him in the chest if her hands   
weren't full. Val looked down at the hideous outift and grimaced.   
  
"I was sure that I had burned this thing," Val said.   
  
"Well, you thought you did," Xina admitted. "But I do have to agree with   
Tinuviel on something."   
  
"What is that?" Val asked, afraid of the answer.   
  
"You are cute dressed up like that," she smirked. Val growled a little   
irritably, but there was a fond note to it.   
  
"One other question," Val said.   
  
"Shoot."   
  
"Why is it that you're carrying that pile of logs," he gestured his head in her   
direction. "And I'm carrying this?" Xina looked up at the burden on Val's back, a   
thick tree that at one time may have been over a hundred feet tall. "What are we   
even going to use it for?"   
  
"Uhhh....Sore wa himitsu desu," Xina said.   
  
"Does that mean that you don't know?" Val asked irritably.   
  
"Err...oh look here's the camp," Xina said cheerfully.   
  
As the the couple walked into camp Amethyst and Xalan turned to face   
them, Amethyst somehow blushing a bright red through her skin. Xina's brother   
had schooled his face to an expressionless mask that generally meant he was   
embarrassed about something. Xina didn't really notice the signs, she was busy   
sniffing the air and scratching her head in confusion.   
  
"Xina-san, Val-san," Amethyst said brightly. "Did you enjoy your walk?"   
As she spoke Val tossed the tree down at the edge of clearing and stretched to pop   
the kinks out of his human body.   
  
"Why are you carrying a tree?" Xalan asked. Val looked at Xina, looked   
back at Xalan.   
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu," Val said. Xalan nodded in understanding and then   
shook his head.   
  
"Okay," Xina finally spoke. "I know I don't know near what I should know   
after growing up in a forest, but I had thought that I at least knew when all the   
mating seasons were. Its not like its an easy scent...to...miss..."   
  
Val and Xina stared at Xalan and Amethyst, who were now obviously very   
embarrassed.   
  
"Ummmm..." Amethyst smiled weakly, next to her Xalan scratched the   
back of his head in embarrassment. "Well...ummm..." Xina blinked and then came   
out of shock.   
  
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"   
  
*******   
  
  
Sailoon castle was, about a week later, filled with a sound not often heard. It was   
the sound of a dragon priestess rendered helpless with laughter.   
  
"I thought you said Xalan wouldn't let things get out of hand," Zelgadis said   
narrowly.   
  
"YOU said Amethyst would be a good chaperone," Lina reminded him.   
  
"Your sister agreed with me," Zelgadis snapped back.   
  
"Greywyrds," Luna said. "You don't want to involve me in this." Zelgadis   
cleared his throat and looked away from the purple haired sorceress. "Out of   
curiosity why is it Xina and Val weren't the culprits?"   
  
"They said that they wanted Filia to marry them first," Lina said tightly.   
"Apparently she has a really good lecture on marriage." Everybody turned to the   
still hysterical dragon.   
  
"This isn't funny!" Lina and Zelgadis snapped.   
  
*******   
  
  
"How'd they take it?" Val asked as Amethyst and Xalan sat down across from   
them.   
  
"About as well as Xina did," Xalan said wearily.   
  
"They probably won't calm down as fast, however," Amethyst said sadly.   
  
"She spent a day ranting about how she was supposed to be the reckless   
one," Val reminded the chimera. "What's your definition of fast?"   
  
"Well, this IS something they'd expect of me!" Xina retorted. "Not that I   
would, but I never thought either of THEM would do that. I mean...they're both   
so...so...the only word I can think of for some reason is 'square.'"   
  
"Thank you for your ringing endorsement, Xina," Xalan said dryly.   
  
"Whatever," Xina shrugged. "You took all the heat off me anyway."   
  
"You're welcome," Amethyst said cooly.   
  
"Don't do that!" Xina snapped. "You sound like you're father when you do   
that."   
  
"Is there something wrong with my father?" Amethyst asked.   
  
"Please go back to talking like a naive justice freak," Xina pleaded. "Or I'll   
start yodelling and carrying around a circular blade."   
  
"Uh...what does that mean Xina-san?" Amethyst asked.   
  
"I don't really know," Xina said, scratching the back of her head. "Anyway,   
Val and I are going to be returning the favor."   
  
"Uh, we are?" Val said nervously.   
  
"Yeah," Xina said. "We have to go visit Jol and..." she smirked viciously.   
"Tinuviel, and invite them to the wedding."   
  
The noise in the halls gained in strength briefly and they all turned to catch   
the sound of echoing laughter.   
  
"At least your mother is in a good mood," Xina said facing Val again.   
  
*******   
  
  
  
"Look, they're safe," L-sama said irritably. "You can go now."   
  
"I guess so," Amelia said sadly. She sighed and turned to see Xellos   
nodding grimmly.   
  
"It is time to fufill our end of the bargain," Xellos admitted reluctantly.   
The source opened up behind them, silently.   
  
"I would have liked to see the weddings," Amelia said with a sigh as she   
turned to the gate and stepped towards it.   
  
"We can ask them about it later," Xellos said, smirking as he and Amelia   
vanished into the gate.   
  
"That's going to be a long wait," L-sama said to herself as the gate closed.   
She looked through her portal and stared at Xina and Xalan. "A long wait."   
  
*******  
*******  
*******  
*******  
*******  
  
  
Yes people, that's the end. I left a lot of things open on purpose...if someone wants   
to write more stories using the characters go ahead. Just tell me about it ok?   
  
  
  
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